Gibbs' worst nightmare
by NicoRobin57
Summary: Gibbs finds out that someone kidnapped his whole team, even Abby. So, he calls his friends from Los Angeles and New Orleans for help. Together they try to find clues and solve riddles to bring back Gibbs' family alive. But who is responsible for the kidnappings? Crossover with LA and NOLA; no Ziva, no romance
1. Chapter 1

**I forgot my comment, so, here it is.**

 **I'm a big fan of NCIS, but I have to say that I don't like the 15th season. Not just because it's Pauley Perrette's final season, but because they killed Gibbs' and Abby's beautiful father-daughter relationship (yeah, I don't count video calls or a talk over the phone).**

 **And although, Torres and Reeves are not that bad, I like Tony more, so, you won't find the new agents in this story. I would have written Ziva in it too, but since I needed the New Orleans agents, I had to go with season 11, and Bishop.**

 **I hope you enjoy the story** **J  
**

 ** **I don't own anything. The characters belong to CBS.****

Chapter 1

It was one of these days when you don't want to get up because you already know that it would be a horrible day. All you want to do is to throw the alarm out of the window, to pull the blanket over your head and to go back to the beautiful dream you had moments ago.

And this was exactly what Leroy Jethro Gibbs wanted to do this morning. Except that he didn't want to go back to his dream because it had been a nightmare. He couldn't remember every detail, but he knew that it had been something about his team. The problem was that he still had this strange feeling that something wasn't right, and his gut was telling him that he should check on his team. The special agent grabbed his cell phone and already pushed his speed dial number one to call Abby, but then he changed his mind and closed it. He knew that Abby wouldn't mind if he would call her that early, but he didn't want to frighten her if he was just hallucinating.

Sighing, he stood up and made himself ready for work. In an hour he would see them all, and then he would realize that his bad feeling was just the rest of his stupid nightmare. So, the team leader ignored his gut and went to work.

* * *

As always he was the first, who arrived at the office. The rest of his team often needed almost another hour, until they were complete. Because he hadn't finished his report the night before, he started his day with the completing it. He was almost done when Dr. Donald Mallard, called Ducky, arrived.

"Good morning, Jethro. Where have you left your team?"

"Morning, Duck. They are not here yet. But you are early today. What's up?"

"Jethro? Have you taken a look at the clock? I'm not early. Your team is late."

Alarmed, Gibbs looked at his clock. Ducky was right. It was already 9 am and still, there was no sign of his agents. They didn't even call to tell him that they would be late.

The bad feeling, which he had the whole morning, hit him hard now and suddenly even the taste of his coffee changed. He felt guilty that he hadn't checked on his team this morning. The team leader threw his coffee in the trash can and then he pushed his speed dial number two on his cell phone. Tony's name appeared on the display, and Gibbs heard the dialing sound. It rang ten times until Gibbs pushed the red button. His next try was Abby on speed dial one, but he got the same result. It only rang, and no one picked up. Although his gut was telling him that it had no use, Gibbs dialed McGee's number. When he didn't reach Bishop either, he threw his cell phone through the office. Ducky sighed and picked it up.

"I assume that this means you didn't reach them."

"Where are they? I could understand that one of them is not answering their phone. But all of them? And even Abby, who always answer my calls, because she knows my rules and especially rule number three? What are they doing?"

"If I may make a suggestion, why don't you pay them a visit? I will help you and drive to Abigail."

"You would do that?"

"Oh Jethro, of course, I would. Like our dear Abigail always says, we are a family."

"You're right. Drive to Abby, I take the rest."

The Silver Fox grabbed the car keys and his jacket. He couldn't wait any longer.

"You don't have to take all of them. I can visit one of the others too."

"No, I drive faster. You take Abby."

* * *

Gibbs was right. It took him only fifteen minutes until he arrived at Tony's place. He rang and knocked a few times, but the team leader got no answer. In the end, he asked the landlord to open the door for him. The apartment was empty. The living room seemed fine and Gibbs found Tony's smartphone on the table. The bedroom, on the other hand, was a mess. Either Tony had wild sex before he left, or he fought with someone. Gibbs' instinct told him that it was option number two.

`Damn it, Tony. Where are you? What happened to you?´

At this moment, his cell phone rang. Jake's name appeared on the display. Jake Malloy was Eleanor Bishop's husband. Maybe, the man noticed Gibbs' call and talked to his wife. Or at least he knew where she was and could tell the worried man.

"Yes?"

"Gibbs? It's Jake."

"Where is your wife? I called her, but she didn't pick up."

"Yeah, she can't talk to you right now."

"Why not? My team knows better than to ignore my… Where is she, Jake?"

"She got kidnapped last night."

* * *

The preparations were almost done. He got the bait, but he needed to do more. If his plan should work just like he planned, he couldn't leave even the tiniest piece out of it. He worked for five years on this. There was no way he would lose because of a stupid mistake. He checked his box, where he stuffed all the necessary things. It was important that he remember the correct order. Everything had to be placed at the right time.

His cell phone rang, and he answered after he recognized the number.

"Yes?"

" _We have your package. Where is our money?"_

"You will get your money, as soon as I have my package. I hope it is in a good shape."

" _A little bloody, but she is still breathing. Put up quite a fight. You didn't tell us that she could fight back."_

"I didn't tell you because I didn't know. On the other hand, I didn't think that you get beaten by a woman. Aren't you the best kidnappers in town?"

" _Are you doubting my abilities?"_

The guy on the other end sounded angry. Apparently, he struck a nerve with his words. But he didn't care for the feelings of this guy. He would get a lot of money for his work.

"I'm just wondering, why you had such problems with her."

" _Because we didn't think that she would turn into a problem."_

"But you have her, and she is still breathing. That is all I need to know for now. I'll send you the address and the time, where we will meet. I have to do something first before I can take my package."

" _Just hurry. I want my money, and I don't want her to wake up. The sooner we do this, the sooner she is your problem."_

"Don't worry. It won't take long, and then you are free of her. If she wakes up, sedate her with some chloroform. It's in the baggage, which I gave you with this cell phone."

" _I know, I saw it. We'll wait for your call."_

The call ended when the guy hung up. Who the hell did this idiot think he was? Maybe, he should pay him with a bullet in his heart. Then the other would understand that they couldn't do this to him. But when the rest decided their deal was too risky, maybe they would kill their package, and that was his whole plan gone.

No, he had to swallow his anger and to pay the guy his money. He would take no risks. Leroy Jethro Gibbs would pay for his mistakes!


	2. Chapter 2

**Is it possible to love and hate an episode at the same time?**

 **Because this is how I feel about Abby's last episode. Pauley Perrette did an incredible job, but I still don't like what they did with her and Gibbs' relationship. And I'm absolutely not satisfied with the end of the episode, although it had beautiful moments too.**

 **Sorry, but I had to get it out. Enjoy the next chapter**

 **I don't own anything. The characters belong to CBS.**

Chapter 2

"I need help, Leon. My whole team is gone. The only one I got left is Dr. Mallard, and he does know about computers as much as I do, which isn't much."

"We have many agents in the Navy Yard, Gibbs. Good people, who will find your team."

Leon Vance, director of NCIS, was shocked. Who would kidnap a whole team of federal agents? And why did they take Miss Sciuto, the forensic scientist, too?

"I need the best agents you can find. They shall try to reconstruct the last night of my team. Meanwhile, I will talk to Jake, Bishop's husband. He comes over, and I hope that he can tell me what happened to his wife."

"Tell me when you find something."

"I will."

Gibbs left Vance's office and returned to the squad room. He stopped when he saw the empty desks. Why didn't he trust his gut? Why did he wait so long until he checked on them? Maybe, he could have prevented this. If he…

"Don't."

Surprised, Gibbs blinked. Ducky stood in front of him and gave him one of his understanding looks. The old medical examiner knew his friend too well.

"It isn't your fault, Jethro. They are all grown-ups and trained agents."

"Abby is not an agent."

"True, but she knows how to fight. Just remember this insane assistant of her, who tried to kill her. She caught him with duct tape."

Gibbs smiled at the memory. Ducky was right. Abby knew how to fight. Wherever she was, she would drive her kidnappers crazy and would use everything she had to escape.

"What did Vance say?"

"He'll give me the best agents we have, and he wants to be informed."

"Good, is there anything I can help with?"

"Not yet, Duck. I call you if I have something for you."

"You'll find them. I know you will."

"Thank you, Duck. I just hope that it will be in time."

* * *

Vance didn't lie when he said he would organize the best agents of the Navy Yard. Gibbs got two computer specialists and ten agents, who tried to reconstruct the last night of his agents. The team leader walked from group to group and listened to their progress.

But they barely found out anything. With every hour that went by, Gibbs was ready to throw something out of the window. How was it possible that his team disappeared without leaving evidence behind?

At noon Jake arrived in the office. At first, Gibbs wanted to yell at him, why he was so late, but one look at the poor NSA-analyst and he changed his mind. Jake looked horrible. He had multiple cuts on his face and a patch above a head wound.

"Jake."

"Gibbs, any news on my wife?"

"We're still searching. Come with me."

Gibbs guided Bishop's husband in their conference room. They both could use a coffee. Although Gibbs would have liked to start the 'interrogation', he waited until Jake took a few sips of his coffee, which brought a little color back in his pale face.

"Jake, I need you to tell me what happened last night."

"Where shall I start?"

"Start with the moment you and Bishop left the office."

"Ehm, okay. I'll try. After we had said good night to you all, we went to my car…"

 _Bishop and Jake walked to the parking lot. Both were tired because it had been a long day. The NCIS-team had caught the murderer of a petty officer, but it had been a long hunt, which had cost them days. Bishop sighed when she sank into the soft seat of the car. Jake took the driver seat, and then he turned to his wife._

" _Do you want to eat something?"_

" _All I want right now is to drive home and to go straight to bed."_

" _I'm in. But first I need a little snack. I'm starving. What do you think about a quick stop at McDonald's, and then we drive home?"_

" _Sure, I think a little trip won't kill me."_

 _Jake took the drive inn, so they wouldn't lose much time. They made it to the first window when Bishop saw the three masked men, who stormed armed into the restaurant. Only a few seconds later the couple heard screams and gunshots. Bishop drew her gun and opened her door._

" _Ellie, don't! There are three of them and each of them has a gun. You can't win this fight. Let us call the police, and let's hope that those three won't see us."_

" _I can't let them get away, Jake. You stay here and call the police. I'll make sure that they won't leave."_

" _Ellie…"_

" _I'm a federal agent. I have to do this."_

 _Then she left him behind and sneaked to the front door of the McDonalds. The masked men were still inside. Quickly, Jake made the call to the police, then he followed his wife._

" _Didn't I tell you to stay in the car?" hissed Bishop._

" _You did, but I can't allow you to fight these men alone."_

" _That's stupid, Jake. I have field training, you don't."_

" _I don't care. I'll help you."_

" _You will only get killed!"_

" _Well, well, look who we have here. Two little love birds, who want to play CIA."_

 _Shocked, the couple looked into a gun, which was pointed at them. Apparently, they had missed the fourth man._

" _Give me the gun, lady."_

" _You make a big mistake," Bishop said, but she handed over her gun._

" _I don't think so. Hey guys! I've got her!"_

 _Now, the former NSA-analyst was surprised. What did he mean? Was this a trap?_

" _Wait. Do you mean that you waited for us?"_

" _We followed you since you left the Navy Yard."_

" _Why?"_

" _Because we got the order to do it."_

" _So you're gonna kill us?" asked Jake with his hands up._

" _Her? No. We shall bring her to our principal alive. But he didn't say a word about you."_

" _Well, then I have to tell you that you won't get my wife that easily."_

 _Quickly, Jake stood up and threw himself on the fourth man. He needed three attempts to knock his opponent out._

" _Ellie, run!"_

 _Together, they ran back to their car. They almost reached it, when suddenly a shot was heard. Bishop saw how her husband fell to the ground and screamed._

" _JAKE!"_

 _She was by his side within seconds and pressed her hands on his bleeding wound. The bullet had hit his left shoulder, and he was losing blood really quick._

" _Take the woman. Leave the man. We only get paid for her," a man said._

 _Bishop didn't see them coming. She only had eyes for her bleeding husband, which was a big mistake. One of the masked men used his gun to hit her. Unconscious, she landed on Jake, who couldn't move, because of the pain. The men grabbed Bishop and pulled her to their car. Then they drove away._

"… I woke up in the hospital. Someone must have called the police and an ambulance. The doctor said, I was lucky that they arrived that fast, because I had lost a lot of blood."

"Can you tell me anything about those men?"

"No, I'm sorry. They all wore masks, and the fourth men had the same height as me. That's all. I can't tell you what hair color they have or which car they used. I saw nothing."

"Alright, I will find her. All agents search for her and the other's and I won't stop until they are all back. I promise."

"I know. I just wish I could be more helpful."

"You were shot. Go home, take a nap. Recover from your blood loss. I'll call you if we find something."

"Okay," Jake sighed.

Carefully, he walked with Gibbs back to the office. The NSA-analyst didn't look good. The little color he had recovered from the coffee was gone again.

"An agent will drive you home."

"No, you need all these agents to search for Ellie. I'll call a cab. I'm fine, Gibbs. Just find my wife."

Gibbs watched how Jake went into the elevator. It took him really hard that he hadn't protected his wife properly, and Gibbs understood his feeling. He had it every time one of his team members were in danger, just like now. It killed him that he knew nothing about their whereabouts.

"Agent Gibbs. Did Mr. Malloy have some news for us?" one of the agents asked.

Gibbs knew that the man had introduced himself to him, but he couldn't remember any of their names if he had to be honest.

"No, he and Agent Bishop tried to take masked men in custody when they tried to rob a restaurant, but they failed. Instead, one of them shot Mr. Malloy, and the four men kidnapped Agent Bishop."

"Can he describe the men?"

"Didn't you listen? I said they wore masks."

"Sorry, you're right. Could he see their car?"

"No, he wasn't helpful actually. At least, he could tell me what happened last night. I want you to call the police. Ask if they have some news on the car and if they have video footage from the McDonalds restaurant. Mr. Malloy gave me the address. Instruct your team that they are not supposed to take a no for an answer. I want this footage. Then send it down to Abby. She will…"

It took Gibbs a moment to realize what he just said. He had said this sentence almost every day that it came so easily over his lips. But this time, his little girl couldn't help him. This time, another forensic scientist would be in her lab. And all because he didn't check on her.

"Then take the videos down to the lab. I want them to analyze every picture," Gibbs sighed.

The agent in front of him seemed to understand his situation because he didn't make a stupid comment or corrected him. He just waited until Gibbs had organized his thoughts again.

"I'm on it, Sir."


	3. Chapter 3

**At first, I want to thank everyone who is reading this story. I hope you enjoy it and the future chapters**

 **For those of you, who are waiting for the arrival of the teams: I'm sorry, but you have to wait for the next chapter.**

 **I don't own anything. The characters belong to CBS.**

Chapter 3

"Jethro. Jethro, wake up."

Only slowly, the familiar voice came through his sleepy mind. Who was calling him? Why couldn't they just leave him alone and give him some rest?

"Jethro."

Sighing, Gibbs rubbed his eyes. Apparently, his naptime was over.

"Tony, this better be good."

"Jethro! It's me, Ducky. Anthony isn't here, remember?"

"What are you…?"

Suddenly, it hit him. This wasn't DiNozzo. It was his good friend Ducky! The team leader was awake within seconds and took in his surroundings. Everywhere he saw foreign agents, who were silently working. Immediately, he searched for the faces of his agents, his team, but it didn't take him long until he remembered what happened.

"My team is missing."

Although everyone in this room knew it, he needed to say it. As if he wished it would be a bad dream, and they would magically reappear.

"Yes, Jethro, they are missing."

"How long did I sleep? What have I missed?"

"I don't how long you slept, but you didn't miss anything. Sadly, we still don't have a clue where they are."

"How is it possible that my whole team disappears? No one is that good."

"You will find them, Jethro. I know you will."

"Sir? We think we found something," said the agent from yesterday.

"What do you mean 'you think'? Do you got something or don't?"

"We got something."

"Show me."

The agent handed Gibbs a file. It contained only a few papers.

"We found the car, which was used to kidnap Agent Bishop. The McDonalds restaurant gave us their videotapes, and we finally got a hit on the car. It was reported stolen, so, we asked the local police for help. They found it in front of a house. The police asked a few neighbors, and they admitted that they saw four men walking into the house yesterday morning. The neighbors are almost certain the men didn't leave until now."

"Did the neighbors say anything about Agent Bishop?"

"No, Sir. They only saw men and they weren't carrying a big bag. Shall I send a team over there?"

"Yeah and I come with you."

"Sir?"

"Do I stammer? I come with you."

"Sir, with all due respects, I don't think that this is such a good idea."

"This is about my team. I'll go."

"As you wish."

The agent made a small bow in front of Gibbs and then he left to organize a team. Meanwhile, Gibbs walked to his desk to get his gun and badge, followed by Ducky.

"Jethro, may I suggest something? Leave this to agent…"

"This is my team, Duck. They are my responsibility."

"Abigail won't be there."

"You don't know that."

"You would know it too if you would just listen to your gut. None of them will be there."

"I have to try, Duck. I have to."

Then he stormed off to the elevator and left a worried medical examiner behind.

* * *

They needed half an hour to arrive at the house of the alleged suspects. Gibbs wore his bulletproof vest, but his gun was still in his holster. He and the young agent – he just remembered that his name was Millers – waited for the rest of the team to get in position. The house was surrounded, and if the suspects would be clever, they would've noticed them by looking out of the window. But those guys weren't geniuses.

Finally, Gibbs and Agent Millers went to the front door to storm the house. As much as Gibbs wanted to storm in, to shoot them and to ask questions later, he knew he couldn't do that. So instead, he knocked twice and yelled: "NCIS! Open the door!"

They waited a few seconds beside the door. Just when they decided to get in, the suspects opened the fire. Immediately, Gibbs ducked and hid from the dangerous objects, while the door beside him got a few new holes. Suddenly, the shots stopped, and Gibbs and the agent went into action. They crashed the door and stormed the house. The team leader was careful not to shot any of his suspects. He needed them alive to interrogate them. They were his only lead to find his team. Well, at least they could lead him to Bishop. He didn't know yet if they've kidnapped the others too.

Ten minutes later, the four men were escorted out of the building in handcuffs. One had a flesh wound from a bullet, one had a broken nose – yes this had been Gibbs' work – and the other two had given up when they had seen that their friends were caught.

Meanwhile, Gibbs searched the house from top to bottom, but he found no sign of Bishop or the others. Frustrated he smashed a lamp. Millers, who had just walked in, stopped and watched the broken lamp on the floor.

"What did she do to you? Did she insult you?"

"Don't try to be funny. I'm not in the mood."

"I'm sorry, did you…"

"Never apologize. It's a sign of weakness."

"Pardon me?"

"Rule number 6."

"I never heard of this rule."

"I invented them. My team knows."

"Alright, did you find anything?"

"Nothing. No sign of them. I highly doubt that any of them were here."

"So we're back to square one."

"No. Yesterday I didn't know, who had taken my team. Now I know, who took Agent Bishop, and we even have her kidnappers in custody."

"What's your next move?"

"One of them will tell me, where they hide my agent."

* * *

"Where is she?!"

It hadn't taken Gibbs long to convince the director that he could interrogate these men. Maybe because Vance knew that the furious ex-marine wouldn't take no for an answer. So now he was talking to his first suspect. An ugly guy, whose hair was a mess, his face looked dirty, and his teeth hadn't seen a dentist in decades.

Gibbs didn't bother to ask this guy if he knew Bishop. He preferred it not to waste any more time and instead came straight to the point. The only problem was that this guy didn't seem afraid of the team leader. Honestly, he looked as if he was sure that Gibbs couldn't prove anything. He sat in his chair with a big smile on his face and arms crossed.

"Look at her! Her name is Eleanor Bishop and she is a federal agent!"

The man took a quick look at the photo, but then he shook his head.

"Sorry, I don't know her."

"Stop playing stupid! I know that you and your friends kidnapped her before yesterday! So I ask you one last time: Where is she?!"

"Not a clue."

"Do you think this is funny?! In the end, one of you will talk and will tell me what happened! And this person will get a deal. Will you be the one?"

"Maybe she ran away. I mean, I wouldn't want to work for such an old man like you. I would definitely run away," the man laughed.

This was too much for Gibbs. He jumped up, grabbed the asshole by the jacket and slammed him against the wall.

"You ignorant, self-adoring bastard! This is my team! Do you hear me?! MY TEAM!"

"Agent Gibbs!"

Millers opened the door, but the team leader didn't care. He only had eyes for the guy, who had his answers but refused to spill them. Gibbs was angry. Really, really angry.

"TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE!"

"I don't know what you are talking about," Gibbs' suspect answered calmly.

Luckily for him, the young NCIS agent reacted quickly and pulled Gibbs away before the situation could escalate.

"Agent Gibbs, that's enough! You won't get your answers like that! Let me talk to him."

"He knows where my team is!"

"Then I will find it out. But for now, please let me do this interrogation."

"He won't tell you anything! You need to beat it out of him!"

"Well, I don't work like that. I have my own methods."

Gibbs gave his suspect one last evil eye before he stormed out of the interrogation room. The door closed with a loud bang. Outside Vance waited for him.

"Do the others talk?" asked Gibbs, but deep down he already knew the answer.

"They pretend to not know anything. The forensic team I ordered, is right now working on the evidence from the raid on the McDonalds restaurant. If they can connect those four to the masked men, then they are trapped."

"But it doesn't help me to find my team. I can't wait for evidence. I need to find them now."

Gibbs turned around without hesitating a moment. He heard how Vance told him to stop, but he didn't care. He was running out of time. The team leader went back to the squad room, where the new agents were still working on finding any hints.

"I need a coffee," Gibbs sighed depressed.

* * *

When he returned with a fresh coffee, the young agent Millers was back in the office, too.

"Where were you? I thought you wanted answers."

"I still want them. Talk. Did he tell you anything?"

"No."

"Like I thought. What else?"

"We wait for the results from the forensic. Maybe they can help us."

"I don't like the sound of this."

"I understand you, but we can't do anything else. We tried everything we could've thought of. Now we have to wait for the forensics."

Suddenly, the phone from the agent rang and interrupted the conversation.

"Millers. Really? Who is it? We're coming."

He closed his cell phone and looked at Gibbs suspiciously. As if the old man would know more than he admitted.

"You have an anonymous video call in MTAC."

"Are they sure that it is for me?"

"Yes."

Curiously, Gibbs looked up to the upper floor. Who was calling him over MTAC? Could it be Tony? Or Tim? No, his gut told him that it wasn't anyone from his team.

"Well, let's find out, what the mysterious caller wants from me."

* * *

MTAC was dark, while Gibbs waited in front of the screen. The only light came from the few electrics in the room and the turning emblem of NCIS. Although Gibbs looked as if he would be as cool as a cucumber, he was impatient.

"Is there a problem?" asked he the technicians.

"Just one moment, Sir," a woman with a headphone said, "Here we are."

The emblem disappeared, and instead, the screen went on, and a dark figure appeared. It looked as if the background was from a living room, but someone must have closed the louvers because Gibbs could barely see anything.

"Hello, Agent Gibbs. I almost thought you don't want to talk to me. You look good."

"Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm hurt. Don't you remember me?"

"Why don't you put on the lights? Maybe then I'll remember."

"That's a really good idea. Let me think about it… Ehm, no. I don't want to make it too easy for you. It would be no fun if I would tell you now."

Gibbs sighed and shifted his weight. Now he wished he would have a coffee here. This was a waste of time, which he could use to find his team.

"Well, if you don't tell me who you are, then why did you even call? I'm a little busy, and…"

"I heard that you miss a few people."

Those words made Gibbs freeze. Angry, he clenched his teeth. What did this guy know about his agents? Was it possible that he was the kidnapper?

"What?!"

"Am I wrong? I have a young man here, and I wonder, does he belong to you?"

The camera wiggled, and the shadow man disappeared. Gibbs held his breath, while he watched how the man turned on some light and walked through a floor. Finally, he heard how a door was opened. The camera went back up again, but all Gibbs could see was darkness. He even squinted his eyes, but it didn't help.

Suddenly, the brightness of a flashlight appeared and lightened the way. The picture went to the ground again, so they could see a pair of black shoes. They moved into the dark room, then the flashlight found the head of a body. The team leader needed only a second to recognize his agent. It was Tony! And he was beaten up pretty bad. The senior field agent had a black eye, a bloody lip and a purple bruise on his cheek. Gibbs couldn't see his hands, but he was pretty sure that Tony hadn't allowed the person to just beat him up. The other one had to look just as bad. Or maybe this guy had cheated. Maybe he used a taser and used Tony's face later as a punching bag.

"What do you say, Agent Gibbs? Isn't he a part of your team? Or what about her?"

Again the image changed, and only a moment later Gibbs saw his youngest agent: Bishop!

"She is really beautiful. Such nice long blonde hair. She was tough. Fought against me, although she knew she had no chance. But you want to see someone else, right? Well, don't panic. Here she is. Isn't she lovely?"

This time the view broke Gibbs' heart. The guy showed him his beloved Abby. She was lying on the ground, just like Tony and Bishop before. Like Tony, she had a bloody lip, and Gibbs saw a wound on her forehead. This bastard must have pushed her head against something hard or hit her with something. Suddenly, Gibbs felt how his hands started to hurt. Without noticing it, he had made a fist and had pushed his fingernails into his palms. Slowly, he unfolded his fists before he started to speak again.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to suffer. I want you to lose everything that is important to you."

"Why?"

"Because you took everything from me! You ruined my life, and now I will ruin yours! But don't worry, I will give you a chance to save your team."

"How?"

"Oh no, Agent Gibbs. Not now. I will call you again and then I'll explain it to you. I promise that you will hear from me again."

"How do I know that my team isn't already dead? They look pretty dead to me."

"Do you have so little trust in me?"

"I don't know you. So, why should I?"

"I told you, you know me, but that's a different story. Fine, I will prove you that your team is still alive. Watch closely."

The camera went closer to Abby's face. Gibbs' heart beat faster. What did this psychopath want to do? A male hand appeared, and only a second later one of his thick fingers pushed on the open wound on her forehead. Gibbs saw how his favorite lab rat pulled a face and heard her making uncomfortable sounds. It was obvious that this action hurt like hell.

"Leave her alone! I believe you!"

"Are you sure? Because I can push harder and…"

"STOP IT!" Gibbs yelled.

Abby pulled her face away from the hand, but she didn't wake up. The team leader could only imagine what this man did to his team. Did he drug them? Did he use chloroform? At least he removed his hand from Abby's wound.

"I think that is enough for today. Expect my next call, Agent Gibbs. I will call soon."

Gibbs opened his mouth to say something, but the screen went dark. The shadow man had ended the call and had left the poor ex-marine alone with his thoughts and worries.

"Sir?"

Suddenly, Gibbs remembered that he wasn't alone in MTAC. Millers and the technicians were with him, and they had heard everything.

"Are you alright, Sir? Do you want to sit down? Or do you need a glass of water?"

"I need some fresh air," Gibbs murmured before he quickly left MTAC.

He didn't care for the looks he got from the others. All he needed was to get out of there. Away from the young agent, who just wanted to help, and away from the squad room, where the empty desks of his agents were mocking him.

Outside he slowed down and walked through the park. He kept walking until he found an empty bank. Exhausted, the team leader sat down and looked up to the sky.

"I need help. Real help," he said to himself.

Normally, he didn't talk to himself, but today wasn't normal. Gibbs pulled out his cell phone and went through his contacts. When he finally found the name he was looking for, he pushed the green button and listened to the familiar ringing sound.

"Hello?"

"It's me. I need your help. When can you be here?"


	4. Chapter 4

**And here are… the teams of LA and NOLA!**

 **I hope you enjoy their appearance**

 **Oh, and if you have any guesses for the identity of the kidnapper, I would love to hear them. Maybe, one of you will find out. All I'm saying is that you've met him, but you probably don't remember him anymore.**

 **I don't own anything. The characters belong to CBS.**

Chapter 4

For the hundredth time, Gibbs looked at his watch. How long could it take from the airport to the Navy Yard? Did they make a stop at Starbucks? He told them that this situation was important.

"Still no signs of them?" a familiar voice appeared behind the nervous team leader.

"No, Duck."

"They will be here soon, Jethro. Didn't you say that their planes should land around 3 pm? And now we have 4:45. It takes time to leave an airport. And don't forget the traffic."

"I know that. It's just… I haven't heard from the kidnapper. Yesterday, he said that he would call soon, but now countless hours passed, and I have to wait."

"He will call. You said he wants you to suffer. Maybe this is a part of his plan because right now you suffer by waiting for an update."

"Well, then let's hope that we can help."

Both Gibbs and Ducky turned to the elevator, where a big group exited. The cavalry arrived.

"What took you so long?" asked Gibbs, while he hugged NCIS Special Agent G. Callen.

"We were stuck in traffic. Do you remember my colleagues Sam Hanna and Kensi Blye?"

"Sure, thank you for coming."

"Of course, we do everything we can to help you," Sam said.

"This is LAPD Detective Marty Deeks, our intel analyst Nell Jones and I think you met Eric Beale, our technical operator already," Callen finished the introduction.

"Seems like we are right on time," a new voice was heard from the elevator.

Again, Gibbs turned around, and this time a relieved smile appeared on his face. He walked over to the new group and hugged the older man in the front.

"Hello, brother. I'm glad you could make it."

"How couldn't I? We will find your team, Gibbs. I promise we won't stop until they're back home."

"Then let's get started. They are already gone for too long."

"Where can we work?" asked Callen.

"Follow me. Miss Jones and Mr. Beale might want to work at our MTAC."

"At first, you tell us everything you know so far, and then we talk about our next steps."

"Those are the desks of my team. You can use them."

Callen and Sam took Tony's desk, Kensi and Deeks walked to McGee's, and the Agents Christopher Lasalle and Meredith Brody took over Bishop's place. Agent Dwayne Pride was the only one, who put his bag on Gibbs' desk. Nell and Eric waited next to Tony's desk to get their orders. Ducky, who had waited respectfully for the teams to make themselves comfortable, was welcomed by Pride.

"Dr. Mallard, it's nice to see you again."

"Thank you, Agent Pride. I'm glad you all are here to help us."

"Of course, we will do our best to find your missing colleagues. Is Abby downstairs?"

"Jethro didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"She is missing too," Gibbs answered quietly.

Shocked Pride turned around and face his friend. He couldn't believe that someone would kidnap such a sweet and innocent woman like Abby.

"What?! But you said on the phone that your team…"

"Yeah, I included her, because she is part of my team."

"I know, I just thought that when you said `them´ that you meant…"

"Well, now you know. Maybe now you understand why I have to find them as soon as possible."

"Then we better don't waste any more time. What do you have?"

"Let's go upstairs to MTAC. We have a video I need to show you."

* * *

"The bastard called me yesterday over video. He hides in the dark, so I can't see his face, but he keeps repeating that I know him. We recorded it, so I think it is the best to just show you the conversation," Gibbs explained to the agents, who sat in the comfortable chairs, "Show them."

The team leader sat down beside Pride and watched the horrible video again with the others. This time, he tried to focus on the voice of the shadow man. After a while, he had to admit that he kind of knew this voice, but he couldn't tell when or where he heard it before.

When the bastard showed his agents and Abby, Gibbs pulled his hands into fists again. He wanted to scream, to yell at this guy to leave his beautiful Abby alone, but he knew it was useless. It was a recording, and nothing he would say would bring his little girl back to him. No, he needed to focus and to stay calm if he wanted to help his team.

Gibbs saw how Pride's hands copied his motion when the bastard proved them that Abby was still alive by pushing his finger into her wound. Yes, he wasn't the only one, who didn't want to see Abby suffer.

"Bastard," Pride murmured quietly, and Gibbs smiled when he heard it.

It was exactly what he had thought, and what was still in his mind when he saw it for the second time. Silence filled the room when the video ended. Gibbs imagined they would feel as angry as he was when he saw it. So, he gave them a few seconds to let it sink in, then he stood up. They needed to start with their work no matter how horrible it was.

"This was my first and last contact for now. Although he promised to call again, he hasn't. Since yesterday, I wait for any news, or that he tells me what he wants from me in exchange.

But we made progress with the kidnappers. We found the ones, who took Agent Bishop. They are in custody now, but until now, we couldn't get anything from them. They pretend to not know anything."

"What is with the others?" asked Sam, "I mean they must have been kidnapped by someone too."

"We still try to reconstruct the last night of my team, but that isn't easy. Agent Bishop was with her husband, so he was able to tell me what happened. But we can't even tell right now if those guys kidnapped my whole team."

"What did the husband say?"

"He wasn't a big help. He could only tell me where it happened, how many men were involved and that they pulled her in a car, but he couldn't even tell us the color of the vehicle."

"Alright, so he is useless. What else do we have?" Callen asked.

"I'm afraid that's all. I was hoping that you could help me to get more answers."

"We will. Nell and Eric, are our computer specialists. If you agree on Agent Pride, I would suggest that those two work on the video. Maybe they can id the kidnapper."

"I agree. The three of us are not good with computers."

"Great. And I think we should talk to the kidnappers again. Maybe one of us makes them talk."

"I wanted to suggest the same thing, Agent Callen. What do you say, brother?"

"Do it. Get everything you can from them. I want my team back."

"Okay, let's roll."

* * *

Tired Gibbs watched the TV in the squad room, where he could see the interrogations of Bishop's kidnapper. The Agents Callen, Hanna, Blye, Deeks, Pride, Brody and Lasalle 'interviewed' them for an hour, but there still was no progress. The team leader had decided to stay away from the interrogations. Otherwise, someone would have got hurt, or he fired.

"Gibbs."

Surprised he turned to the elevator. Jake was back and he looked terrible.

"What are you doing here?"

"I can't sit at home, knowing that my wife is missing! I have to do something!"

"There is nothing you can do, Jake. I have agents here, who help me to find everyone."

"You mean those agents on the screen?! They do nothing but talking! What do they think they will get from them?! Give me five minutes! I just need five minutes with one of them, and you get your answers!"

"No."

"Gibbs! They kidnapped my wife and beat me up! I have a right to talk to them!"

"Do you think I'm here in the office for fun? I'm not in one of those rooms because I know that I wouldn't talk. I would beat them up until they tell me what I need to know. Hell, it takes me everything not to run upstairs and to do what I want to do. But I know that those actions won't help my team, and right now, their safety is everything that matters. So, I allow these agents to do MY job and hopefully get some answers."

"What if they won't talk?"

"Then we still have two computer specialists, who are working on the video."

"What video?"

Gibbs sighed frustrated. He shouldn't tell this man too much, but he could also understand his fear. His wife was in danger and he felt useless.

"I got a call from someone, who admitted that he kidnapped my team and your wife. Right now, I don't know if he works alone or if there are more. I have to wait for another call. All I know is that they are alive. For now. And those agents will help me to get them back."

"To get back who?" a female voice behind them asked.

Gibbs closed his eyes in frustration before he turned around. What was wrong today that he was disturbed the whole time?

' _Well, maybe I should run away,'_ he thought when he recognized the small group behind him.

He saw the ATF-Agent Zoe Keates, Delilah Fielding, who worked for the DoD, and Abby's new boyfriend, park ranger Burt Moore. Gibbs had known that the life partners of his team would arrive at one point, but he had thought that he would have more time.

Zoe was the first, who walked over to the exhausted team leader and took a closer look.

"You look horrible, Agent Gibbs."

"Thank you, Agent Keates. That is exactly what I needed to hear," Gibbs answered sarcastically.

He hoped that he could distract her from the one subject she was actually here, but Zoe was clever. She was a great agent and no one distracted her that easy.

"Where is Tony?" she asked softly, "Since yesterday, I try to call him, but he doesn't pick up. Is he on an undercover mission?"

"And did he take Tim with him? Because I can't reach him either," Delilah threw in and came closer.

"Or Abby. I mean I know that she works a lot and that she sometimes sleeps in her lab, but normally she calls me back. What could be so important that she can't return my calls?" Burt wanted to know.

That much for the distraction. Those people wouldn't back down until they got an answer to their questions. He had to tell them the truth. Otherwise, they wouldn't leave him alone.

"Maybe you all should sit down."

"Gibbs, I already sit, remember?"

"And I prefer to stand. So, start talking," Zoe demanded, while she crossed her arms.

"Alright. Well, Tony and Tim are not on an undercover mission, and there is no big case for Abby to stay overnight. The truth is that I don't know where they are."

"Wait, how can you not know where your team is? You are the leader. Shouldn't you know where you sent them?" asked Delilah.

"They are missing for two days now. We think that someone kidnapped them."

"Who is 'we'?" Zoe wanted to know.

"I asked friends of mine to help me. They are good agents and they won't stop until we have found everyone."

"Do you have any idea who got them? Any lead?" asked Burt.

"A man called me yesterday and showed me their bodies to prove that they are alive. And right now, my friends are talking to the kidnappers from Agent Bishop. We hope that they will give us a hint to find the others."

"We want to help," Zoe said and Delilah nodded in agreement.

"No. I know how you feel right now. Believe me, I do. And I appreciate the offer, but you would be in the way. Let us do our work, and I promise that I will update you on every progress we make."

"Can we at least wait here and watch how…?"

"No, please Agent Keates. You would keep me from doing my job and you know it. Go back to your work. Try to clear your head and leave the worries to me. I will find them. All of them."


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to everyone, who is reading this story.**

 **Enjoy the new chapter.**

 **I don't own anything. The characters belong to CBS.**

Chapter 5

Hours later nothing had changed. They still had no clue where Gibbs' team was or who took them. The kidnappers still didn't say anything, but Callen had his doubts if they knew anything at all about the master plan. Gibbs hadn't said a word. Since the life partners of his team had left, including the nervous Jake, he had watched the interrogations and then listened to the conclusions of the teams. He couldn't tell anymore how much coffee he had poured into himself because he had stopped counting after his tenth coffee, and now he had to admit that the caffeine had lost his impact. The team leader felt the tiredness rolling over him, but he didn't give up. He couldn't sleep. His team needed him, so he stood up, and went for a new coffee.

* * *

" _Daddy! Daddy, wake up!"_

 _Tired Gibbs tried to wave the voice of the little girl away. Why couldn't they just leave him alone and give him some rest? He needed his strength to find his team._

" _Daddy! I know that you can hear me! Wake up!"_

 _Of course, he could hear her, but this didn't mean that he would do as she said. It had been a long day and… Wait. Did she call him 'Daddy'?_

 _Quickly, Gibbs opened his tired eyes and was greeted by a pair of beautiful green eyes._

" _See? I knew you heard me, daddy. Why didn't you answer me?"_

 _Gibbs blinked a few times to clear his view. It took him a few seconds until he recognized the squad room. He was lying behind his desk, and a little girl with black hair stood over him. She had bound her hair in two pigtails and wore a black, cute dress with skulls on it._

" _Abby," the shocked team leader whispered._

 _This wasn't possible. His Abby was a grown-up woman, and yet there was this little girl, who couldn't be older than four, who reminded him of his surrogate daughter._

" _Daddy?" asked the young Abby with fear in her eyes._

" _Yes?" answered Gibbs automatically._

" _Why don't you say anything?"_

" _What should I say?"_

" _I want to know why you didn't answer me. Are you even listening to me, daddy?"_

" _I… wait a second. Why are you calling me 'daddy'?"_

" _What do you mean? I always call you daddy, daddy."_

" _No, you call me Gibbs."_

" _That sounds strange. Why should I call you by your name? You are my daddy."_

" _No, I'm not, Abs. I'm your boss."_

" _Stop it! I don't like this game."_

" _You are the one, who has to stop. I'm not your father. My daughter's name was Kelly and she is dead for years."_

 _Gibbs felt how the panic rose inside of him until he saw how the beautiful green eyes filled themselves with tears._

" _Why are you saying that? I'm your daughter."_

" _You are a part of my team. You are a brilliant forensic scientist, but you are not my daughter."_

" _I don't like this game. Tony!"_

 _The young Abby turned around and ran away. Surprised Gibbs stood up, but what he saw let him froze. The little girl ran to a young boy, who was a few years older than her. But this wasn't the reason for Gibbs' reaction. The little boy looked exactly like his senior field agent!_

" _That is impossible," Gibbs whispered._

 _He watched how the little Tony took the little Abby in his arms. His brain had to play a trick on him. This couldn't be real._

" _What's wrong, Abs?"_

" _Daddy is mean to me. He says that I'm not his daughter."_

" _Nonsense, you are his favorite. He would never say something like that."_

" _But he did!"_

" _I'm sure you misunderstood him."_

" _No, I haven't! He said that I'm not his daughter and that his daughter's name is Kelly, but she is dead."_

 _The young Tony looked confused at his little sister before he turned his attention to Gibbs._

" _Dad? Did you really say that?"_

 _Gibbs needed to gulp. What was wrong with him? Now it wasn't only Abby, but Tony too? Why was his team transformed into little kids? His kids! No, his team was… was… He couldn't remember what was wrong with his real team. The grown-up version. But his gut told him that it was important and that he needed to remember it._

" _Dad? Are you not feeling well? Shall I get Uncle Ducky?"_

 _Gibbs concentrated on the little kids again. If there was a younger version of Abby and Tony, then where were McGee and Bishop? And who was their mother?_

" _Tony, daddy scares me. He isn't responding to any of us. Please, get Uncle Ducky."_

" _Yeah, I think this will be the best."_

 _This time their words reached Gibbs' fuzzy brain. Quickly, he stood in the way of the young boy to stop him from going down to Ducky. The last thing he needed was to get checked by a doctor. He was fine, it was just the people around him, who wasn't._

" _There is no need to call Ducky."_

" _But you are acting strange, dad. I never saw Abby running away from you. Whenever you notice that she doesn't understand your jokes you pull her into your arms and apologize to her. But not today. What is different?"_

 _Gibbs looked at the little girl, who reminded him of Abby and saw that the tears were running down her cheeks, while she watched him worried. Maybe she wasn't his real daughter, but Gibbs never liked it to see a child crying. What could it hurt if he played the game for a while? At least, it would make them happy. Smiling he went on his knees to be smaller._

" _I'm sorry, Abs. I didn't mean to scare you. I wasn't thinking and this was stupid from me. Can you forgive me?"_

 _He waited, while the little girl was thinking over his words. Finally, she gave him a small nod when suddenly a young boy arrived with a woman. Immediately, Gibbs recognized McGee, who was holding a book in his hands. So he found the third person from his team. Now there was only Bishop missing… missing. Why was his gut reacting to this word?_

" _I'm sorry, boss. I tried my best to keep an eye on them, but they are really quick," the woman said with a sigh._

" _Never apologize. It's a sign of weakness," Gibbs replied automatically, while his thoughts were still analyzing his gut._

" _Right, rule number 6. I promise that I won't let them out of my side anymore."_

 _Suddenly, Gibbs looked up at the woman. There was something about her voice that interrupted his thoughts. She pulled her long blond hair in a ponytail, which gave Gibbs a good look at her face._

" _Bishop," he whispered, but apparently not silent enough._

" _Yes? Can I help you, boss? Why are you kneeling on the floor? Did you lose something?"_

" _But when Abby and Tony and McGee… why aren't you… you're grown-up."_

" _Ehm, yes. Since a few years now. Thanks for noticing."_

" _No, I don't mean… I thought you would be… I'm confused."_

" _Well, that makes us two because I don't know what you are talking about. Don't you feel well, boss?"_

" _I think I need to sit down for a moment."_

 _Unsteady he stood up and went back to his desk. What was wrong with him? Why were Abby, Tony, and Tim little kids, but Bishop was a grown-up? That didn't make sense. Was someone playing with his memories?_

" _Daddy?"_

 _Gibbs needed to take a look at the children again. Abby and Tony were definitely worried and McGee didn't understand what was going on. Was this a parallel universe, or did he turn crazy?_

" _Hey, kids. Have you already driven your father crazy?"_

" _Agent Pride! That is not funny," Bishop said angrily to the older agent._

 _But Pride didn't come alone. By his side was no one else than Special Agent Callen._

" _Callen? Shouldn't you be in LA?" asked Gibbs, which earned him a laughter as a response._

" _I wish. But my vacation days are still far away. Didn't you promise the kids to fly with them to LA?"_

" _With my kids? I don't have children."_

 _This time, he got a confused look from Callen, while Pride walked to Abby._

" _How is my sweet Abby?"_

 _Of course, the little girl turned around, so the old man saw the tears in her eyes and on her cheeks. Immediately, Pride was alarmed and took her in his arms._

" _Why are you crying? Did Tony pull your hair again?"_

" _Hey! I just did this once!"_

" _Once? Are you sure about that?"_

" _Well, maybe twice. But not more than three times."_

" _I think you have a problem with counting, but I believe you. It seems that this time you are not the reason for her tears."_

" _No," Abby answered, while she rubbed her eyes "It's daddy. He is mean to me."_

" _Your daddy? I don't think so. He loves you very much."_

" _But why does he say that I'm not his daughter?"_

" _What are you talking about? Of course, you are his daughter. You are his little girl."_

" _It's true. He is acting weird," Tony confessed "I don't know what's wrong with him. Maybe Uncle Ducky should take a look at him."_

 _Surprised Pride turned to his 'brother', who had only eyes for the young Abby on Pride's arm. Although he knew that she wasn't his daughter, he couldn't suppress the anger inside him, which grew with every second his friend held his little girl._

" _Do they tell the truth, Gibbs? Did you tell Abby that she isn't your daughter?"_

" _Something is wrong here."_

" _I agree something is wrong with you. Why do you say something like that?"_

 _Gibbs thought about keeping up with the game, but this was Pride. If there was anyone in this reality he could tell about his worries, it was this man._

" _He said that he had a daughter, and that her name was Kelly, but that she is dead," Abby explained._

 _This time, Pride's look became sad. Did he remember Kelly? Would he tell those kids the truth?_

" _Honestly, brother? This story again? She is dead for so many years now, and you have three gorgeous kids. I thought that they would help you to ease your pain."_

" _She is my daughter."_

" _She WAS your daughter. Kelly will never come back, but Abby is here for you and she doesn't understand when her father talks nonsense. Hell, Gibbs, she is four years old. You can't tell her something like that."_

" _Pride, why don't you take the kids to the park?" Callen suggested, "I believe they could use some ice cream."_

" _That's a good idea, Callen. Tony, are you coming?"_

 _Suddenly, Gibbs felt how the temperature fell with every second, but no one except him seemed to notice. The little Tony looked at his father as if he waited for an order, but then he shrugged with his shoulders and walked to his younger brother._

 _This was the time when the brightness of the squad room went down. More and more of the room went dark as if a cloud was flying in front of the sun. It started at the elevator and moved to the clueless agents._

" _What is going on?" Gibbs whispered._

" _You should take a nap, brother. Maybe you'll feel better then. Don't worry, I take care of your children."_

" _Bye, daddy."_

 _Abby's tiny voice woke him up. Shocked he watched how Pride wanted to leave the office with his children, and immediately his gut was sending alarm signals. He couldn't let them go! It was important that he would keep them close._

" _Stop!" he yelled, and everyone froze "Give me my children."_

" _Gibbs, let Pride take them…"_

" _Pride, give me my children!"_

" _Gibbs, I don't take them away from you. They need a timeout. I will return with them when you feel better."_

 _Gibbs took a quick look at the growing darkness and the temperature fell to another five degrees. He had to do something, or it would be too late. He made three steps when the chaos started. Four masked men came out of the dark cloud. Bishop was the first one who fell. One of the men knocked her out then he threw her over his shoulder. The second man attacked Callen, while the third one grabbed Tony and McGee. Pride saw the danger and tried to run away, but suddenly he couldn't move anymore. It was as if his feet were glued to the floor._

 _Gibbs wasn't doing much better. He barely could set one foot in front of another. His feet felt like concrete, although he tried his best to reach his brother and his little daughter. Abby screamed loud and held out her little arms towards her daddy._

" _Daddy! Help me!"_

" _Pride! Give me my daughter!"_

 _But the poor man wasn't listening. Instead, he pressed the little girl, who was still screaming for her daddy, closer to him, while he tried to fight the fourth masked man with his free hand. Gibbs knew that this was useless. They wouldn't win this fight. All he could do was to get to his daughter before it was too late. But the cold seemed to freeze him and refused to let him walk properly. Desperately, he had to watch how Pride got knocked out with one hard punch. Abby screamed loud, but she was lost. The fourth man pulled her into his arms, while she tried to punch him. It would have looked cute if the situation wouldn't have been so serious. Her punch's had no force, so she wasn't hurting him at all._

" _You failed, Special Agent Gibbs," the fourth man said before he turned around and left with the children, his friends, and the unconscious Bishop._

" _No! Abby! Please don't do this!"_

 _But none of them looked back. They walked into the dark cloud, which seemed to swallow them, then they were gone._

" _ABBY!"_

* * *

"ABBY!"

Screaming Gibbs woke up. The sweat was running down his face, and he felt his heart racing. Where was he? Where was Abby? Confused he looked around. He was lying behind his desk, but this time there was no cute little girl, who woke him up. Instead, he heard the sounds of computers, which were working and telephones, which were ringing. Then he noticed Pride, who walked over to him. Gibbs saw the pain and sadness in the eyes of his brother and understood immediately. He had a nightmare. This was the present, and he finally remembered his missing team. He had no children. His stupid mind just made it up.

"How do you feel, Gibbs?"

"I'm fine. When did I fall asleep?"

"Around eleven pm. You yelled Abby's name. Was the dream about her?"

"Sort of."

"You don't want to talk about it."

"No, I don't. How long did I sleep?"

"It's 6 am now. You slept through the whole night."

"Damn it! What have I missed?"

"Nothing actually. We are still searching for clues, and because everyone is exhausted, it takes longer."

"Did anyone called again?"

"No one. It seems like this shadow man wants to test your patience."

"So basically, we still have nothing."

"I don't know what you guys have, but we – and with "we" I mean Nell and my incredibly talented person – we got something," Eric explained, who was now standing next to Sam "We found the house from the video."


	6. Chapter 6

**In chapter 7, I have a little exercise for you, guys. Don't worry, you don't have to actually do them to continue with this story. I will give you the answers in the chapters, but I'm curious about, who will try my exercise.**

 **Until then, enjoy the new chapter :)**

 **I don't own anything. The characters belong to CBS.**

Chapter 6

"This man is good. He knows how to hide his location," Nell explained, while she typed something on the keyboard "It took us a while to find something useful."

The image of the shadow man appeared on the big screen of MTAC, but they didn't play the video. Gibbs hoped they would know how hard it would be for him to watch it again.

"He never puts his face into the light. The room is dark. Apparently, he closed all louvers. You can say a lot about this guy, but he is clever," Eric said.

"Could we please stop acknowledging the cleverness of this bastard?!" asked Gibbs angry "This guy is a psychopath and he has my team! I don't even know if he works alone, or if there is a group of psychopaths out there! Nonetheless, there is nothing to applaud to!"

"You're right. I apologize, Agent Gibbs."

For a second, Gibbs thought about telling him not to apologize, but he was too exhausted to explain his rules to this boy. He knew he overreacted, but it had sounded like he would be a fan of the shadow man. So instead of a lecture, he gave him a small nod, and Eric carried on.

"Even when he walks to another room, which has to be on the same level because we never see stairs, we never see anything that could help us identify where the house is."

"I'm still waiting for the part, where you tell me that you found the house. All I hear is `we have no clue´," Gibbs sighed.

"That's the best part, Agent Gibbs," Nell explained "We couldn't find the house because of the images. We found it because of the connection. It took us some time to analyze the data. This guy has to have some knowledge of technologies. Otherwise, he couldn't have done this."

"Or he has a partner."

"Or he has a partner. We don't know the answer to this riddle, but we were able to trace the video call to this place."

The excited woman opened the map of Washington, where they saw a small bungalow.

"This is where the signal came from. It's a house in Annandale."

* * *

"How long until we arrive?" asked Gibbs, while his fingers tapped on the steering wheel.

"We should be there any minute."

"Where is the other car?"

"I lost them a few minutes ago, but I got a message from Detective Deeks. They are not far away."

"Then why can't I see them?"

"Because you drive as if the devil is after you?"

"No Pride, he is in front of me, waiting, and I will shoot him if he hurts one of my agents."

"There is the house."

Gibbs almost jumped out of the car, as soon as they reached the building. He pulled his gun and walked over to the house. The ex-marine wouldn't waste any more time. Pride, Chris, and Brody were right behind him.

"Shouldn't we wait for Agent Callen and his team?" whispered Brody.

"If he is in there, he has already seen us, and I won't give him the chance to kill my team. I go in with or without you."

The two younger agents looked at each other insecure before they followed the older ones. They understood Gibbs' intention, but the right way would be to wait for back-up. Pride told them to cover the back door, while the ex-marine and he would go in through the front.

At this moment, the car from the LA-team arrived. Gibbs noticed them, then he crushed the door. He couldn't wait.

"NCIS!"

Only seconds later, they heard Brody and Chris yelling the same. Surprised the NCIS-agents searched every room, but there was no one shooting at them or running away. The house was empty. No kidnappers and no team. Gibbs' family was gone.

* * *

Frustrated Gibbs sat on a big stone and watched how the people of forensic went through the house. Even the LA- and NOLA-team helped, but Gibbs couldn't. He knew that he should, but it hurt too much to know that they had been in this house. If he only had found them earlier, then maybe he wouldn't have come too late. Wouldn't have failed them.

The team leader looked up when he saw Pride walking over to him. He wasn't wearing a happy face, so it couldn't be good news.

"Did you find anything?"

"We found blood. It's not much, but it is there. The lab will analyze it to tell us to who it belongs. Maybe we are lucky and one of the kidnappers left his own blood for us."

"If he is in the system, then we could be lucky, yes. Otherwise, we have nothing. Again."

"They will call you. I can feel it. They wouldn't go through the trouble to kidnap four NCIS-agents if they wouldn't call."

"I just hope that they are still alive."

"He won't kill them. At least not yet. He wants you to suffer. So he will let them die slowly."

"That's not calming me down, brother."

Softly Pride squeezed Gibbs' shoulder. He could only imagine how his friend was feeling.

"We are almost done here, then we can drive back to the Navy Yard. Do you want to wait here?"

"Yes, talk to Callen. I'm not going anywhere."

Pride hesitated for a second and watched his 'brother' skeptically. When Gibbs didn't move, he walked back to the house.

* * *

It was strange to be in Abby's lab without her. Gibbs leaned against the table, while he watched how Sebastian Lund, the forensic scientist from New Orleans, used Abby's keyboard. He and Dr. Loretta Wade had arrived this morning after Pride had called for help. They needed the best in Washington, and after the famous Miss Sciuto, Sebastian was a close second. Gibbs was thankful for the new support, but he didn't like the sight of this newbie at the working place of his little girl. Especially because he knew how much Abby cared for her lab. Gibbs wanted to tell him, that he should be careful, but instead, he pushed his fingernails into his palms and listened to Lund's babbling.

"… which is insane. I mean how am I supposed to get quick results? I'm alone down here and…"

"Sebastian, please. Just show us the pictures."

"Sure, sorry. So, these are your photos. They are pretty cool. Who made them?"

"Sebastian," Chris interrupted the forensic scientist.

"Right, here we have the first one. Does anyone want to say something?"

This time, Brody went towards the screen to give a short explanation.

"We still don't know with how many people we have to deal. Although, it looks as if only one man was sleeping there. We found one mattress, but I don't think that the house belongs to him. Maybe he noticed that it was empty and thought he could use it for his plan.

We took many fingerprints and hopefully, we can identify them with Sebastian's help. In the guest room, we didn't find many prints. The most of them were smeared, so we think that they are from our missing agents."

"Sadly, we found blood too," carried on Sam "It's not much, so none of them will die because of blood loss. Which is good if it belongs to our friends."

"I will work on the blood at first because this analysis will take a while. I assume that the blood from the missing agents is already in the computer, so… why is he looking at me like that?"

Everyone turned to Gibbs, who was still looking as if he was ready to kill Sebastian. Sighing Pride walked over to his friend and put his hand on Gibbs' shoulder to calm him.

"Brother, please, you need to relax. I know that you don't like having Sebastian here, but we need him. I promise that Abby will get her lab back just like she left it."

It took the team leader a few seconds before he could release his fists. He knew it was stupid, but he couldn't suppress the urge.

"Carry on."

"Alright, so I think that I will be able to give you some answers very soon."

"Those are good news, Sebastian. Maybe you can ask Loretta and Ducky to help you with all of this," Pride suggested.

"Thank you, Sir. I will."

"Good, now we should think about our next steps. What can we do?"

"It's still hard for me to believe that those four men are responsible for the kidnapping of four agents," Callen said "I mean we are not talking about some newbies. Agent DiNozzo and Agent McGee are good agents for years now. I don't believe that they would go down without a fight."

"They wouldn't. Neither would Bishop, although she is new, nor would Abby. I taught her how to fight, so she could… that she… she…"

"I'm sure she fought like hell, brother. I know her and she knows how to fight."

"My point is: we only know what happened to Agent Bishop, and her kidnappers refuse to talk. But what happened to the others? We need to reconstruct their last evening. Gibbs, you could talk to Nell and Eric. Maybe they can do some magic on the video to identify the man."

"And what am I supposed to do? Shall I watch them how they work, while I twirl my thumbs?"

"You can find out who is behind all of this and maybe this helps you to remember how many people are working with him."

"I would rather find out what happened to my team."

"You really want to SEE what happened to them?"

Gibbs thought about this a few seconds before he shook his head. No, he really didn't want to see that. He was already angry and as long as he could kill the kidnappers after he found them, he would be alright.

"I'll talk to Mr. Beale and Miss Jones."

Before someone else could say something, Gibbs pushed himself away from the table and left the lab. He had to get out of there before he would do something stupid, which he would regret later. After all, he was the one, who had called for help and now he acted like he didn't want them. This wasn't the right time to act stupid.

* * *

Well, he didn't actually twirl with his thumbs, but he drank a lot of coffee, while the computer geeks worked on the video. Gibbs didn't understand one word they were saying or doing and he had to admit that he felt helpless. He was running out of time and he was still not one step closer to finding his agents.

"Got it!"

Surprised Gibbs turned his attention to Eric. Did he really hear what he thought he heard? Eric's big smile gave him the answer. Immediately, he stood up and walked to the two geeks.

"Show me."

He heard how they were typing on their keyboards, then the dark silhouette of the man appeared on the big screen.

"I thought you got it. This is the same shadow face I saw two days ago."

"Wait a second. We are not done yet. What do you see now?" Eric wanted to know and pressed a new button.

Suddenly, the picture got brighter, so they were able to see the face of the shadow man.

"This… could be anyone! Damn, he is smarter than I thought!"

Angry the team leader left MTAC, while Nell and Eric stared at the screen.

"Agent Gibbs is right," Nell said sadly "This could be anyone."

The man from the video wore a mask!

* * *

At the squad room, Gibbs found the LA- and NOLA-team, which were all working. Either on the phone or on the computer. Pride stood in front of a board, which showed the timelines of Gibbs' missing agents. Bishop was the first one since they already knew what happened to her thanks to her husband. But the others were more difficult. Especially Abby's line was pretty empty. Kensi noticed Gibbs and saw his desperate face. Carefully, she went over to him.

"Don't worry, they are still alive."

"What makes you think that, Agent Blye?"

"Apparently, he knows that you would do anything for your team. He would be stupid if he would kill them before he could finish this game with you."

"He said he would call again. That was two days ago. Why isn't he calling?"

"He had to move them to a different location. I don't think he took them home, where his neighbors could get suspicious. He needed a new place."

"I just want them back."

"I know, we do our best to find them."

"I've got something!" Brody said.

Immediately, everyone turned to the plasma screen and listened to Brody's discovery.

"I couldn't understand why we weren't able to find anything on Miss Sciuto. So, I watched the cameras in this building to get the time of her departure. Look what I found."

Abby's lab appeared on the screen. The forensic scientist was working on her computer, and suddenly, Gibbs remembered.

"She wanted to work longer on some evidence, which she already had for days. She promised she wouldn't stay the whole night."

Two masked men entered the lab. Sadly, the video had no sound, so the agents could only see what happened four days ago. Strangely, they couldn't see any guns or weapons. Apparently, the kidnappers had thought that Abby wouldn't be a problem.

The forensic scientist noticed the intruders and tried to escape to her middle lab. She didn't come that far. The men grabbed her, and one of them had a washcloth in his hand. Gibbs didn't need to be a genius to know that it was full of chloroform. Suddenly, Abby got one arm free and gave the guy in front of her a heavy punch on the nose. Then she stepped on the foot of the second kidnapper on purpose, which allowed her to loosen the grip. Finally, she gave him a kick to his private area. At this point, all men in the squad room flinched. Everyone knew how painful such a kick could be.

"Nice punch and kick. She really knows to fight," Kensi said acknowledging "Did you show her this, Agent Gibbs?"

"I gave her some lectures and now I'm glad that I did."

Again, Abby tried to run away, but her kidnappers were quick. They caught her and this time, they blocked her attack. Instead, she took a punch to her stomach before the bloody nose guy pushed her head against the glass doors.

Gibbs gritted his teeth's when he saw how his little girl landed on the floor. Blood was running from the wound on her temple around her eye to her ear. He should have trained more with her. Why hadn't he taken the time?

Two other men appeared in the lab. They didn't wear any guns either just like their friends. They really must have thought that Abby would be an easy target. The four men talked – although it looked more like fighting – while Abby was regaining her strength. Carefully and as silent as possible, she used the distraction to sneak to her second lab. One man noticed her actions and grabbed her pigtails to pull her back. She landed on her butt, then Mister Bloody Nose was in front of her and gave her a hard punch to her face. This time, she didn't stand up. Helplessly Gibbs watched how one of the bastards threw his little girl over his shoulder and left the lab with his friends.

Brody stopped the video, and silence filled the room. Everyone turned their heads to the ex-marine, who was still staring at the screen as if it would show him a different ending.

Finally, Pride broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Alright, we know what happened to… Abby. Do we know which car they used?"

"No, but I can ask the guards, which cars left the Navy Yard at this time. Since it was in the middle of the night, I highly doubt that there were many," Kensi explained.

She looked at Gibbs for giving his approval, but his attention was still on the paused video. When he didn't move, Callen gave her the order to go.

"Chris, go down to Sebastian. I want you two to check the lab. Abby hit one of them pretty hard. And I'm pretty sure that I saw how some drops hit the floor. I can't believe that there are no signs of blood. "

"On it."

"And the rest of us works on the evenings of Agent DiNozzo and McGee," Callen said, "There are still some gaps to fill."

* * *

Angry Gibbs watched the interrogation from the other side of the window. Pride and Brody were in the room with the guy, whose nose was broken. It didn't take the team long to find the car from Abby's kidnappers, and the broken nose helped them to be certain. The idiots didn't even get rid of the treacherous car.

"Where is she, Paul?" Pride asked while he walked up and down behind the kidnapper.

Gibbs saw that his friend was close to killing the guy. His nerves were really thin. Pride wouldn't let their suspect get away.

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Are you sure? Why don't you tell us what happened to your nose?" Brody continued the interrogation.

Obviously, she had noticed how close her boss was to kill this guy. They couldn't risk such an attack.

"I missed a lantern."

"You are a terrible liar, Paul. Shall I tell you what happened?"

"Sure, enlighten me, sunshine."

The guy was playing with his life. Not only that he made the older special agent angry, now he pushed his luck with Brody too. The female agent grabbed the remote control and started the little video from Abby's lab. Then she returned to the moment where Abby broke Paul's nose.

"This is my favorite part. Did you see this? Wait for it… there. Wonderful punch to the face. Do you want to see it again?"

"Are you done?"

This time, Paul sounded angry. It seemed as if Abby's little attack hurt his ego.

"Don't you like it? I could watch it the whole day. But let's move on. Let me tell you what happened. You and your friends sneaked into the Navy Yard and attacked this woman. Sadly for you, she fought back and broke your nose."

"I didn't kidnap her."

"Who said anything about kidnapping, Paul? I spoke about attacking."

Immediately, Paul shut his mouth, but he glared angrily at the female agent. He walked into her trap just like she had planned.

"But you're right. She was kidnapped, and we know that you and your friends did it."

"You can't prove that."

"Sure, we can. Remember the blow to your face? We found blood in the lab. Your blood. You left a few drops for us, and we compared them to your DNA."

"She bluffs."

Surprised Gibbs turned around. Ducky had entered the room without making a noise. Gibbs cursed himself that he stopped being careful. It was a bad sign when people could start sneaking up on him.

"I spoke to Dr. Wade. The cleaning stuff was faster than us. There was no blood left."

"But he doesn't know. Do you see how pale he became? He really believes that we can put him in jail."

"I want a deal," Paul said angrily.

"Tell us what you know, and we think about it. Where is the woman?"

"I don't know."

"Try again," Pride hissed in Paul's ear.

Mr. Broken Nose shrugged when the furious agent appeared right behind him.

"That's the truth. It was our job to kidnap her and to bring her to him. After that, we haven't seen him or her ever again."

"Who is he?"

"I don't know his name. I met him on the street. He said he has a job for my friends and me. All we had to do was to get the girl and when it was done, we should drive her to the woods. He waited for us. We got our money, and he got the girl. After that, we left, and I've never seen either one of them since. And that's the truth, man."


	7. Chapter 7

**And here it is! I hope you like it**

 **Since I can't upload any pictures, you will have to use the links in the story, which will show you your little exercise. The links lead you to a website called Imgur. Please enter imgur .com in front of the links. The system erases the full links.  
**

 **Thank you to all the people, who are reading my story (especially to DS2010, STLFAN, and Mar91 for giving me a feedback).**

 **Enjoy the new chapter and your little exercise.**

 **I don't own anything. The characters belong to CBS.**

Chapter 7

Gibbs, the LA- and the NOLA-team sat together in the squad room. Pride and Brody had informed everyone about what their suspect had told them. Now they deliberated about their next steps.

"Alright, we know that one man hired the kidnappers, who took Abby, but we don't know if he is the same one, who hired the others," Kensi summarized.

"And Agent Bishop's kidnappers won't say a word," Brody said.

"What if we bluff again?" suggested Chris, "We tell Mister Broken-nose to draw us a picture of the guy, or he shall describe him to a sketch artist. Then we show our four suspects this picture and tell them that one of their friends told us everything. If they think they are useless to us, and that we put them in jail for kidnapping, maybe one of them will try to make a deal."

"That is a big maybe," Gibbs meant.

"But it is worth a try," Sam agreed "I'm with Lasalle. The worst that could happen is when they don't say a word. Or we are lucky, and one of them starts to talk."

"This is my suggestion: Agent Lasalle, Kensi, Sam, and me, we will do the interviews with the stubborn ones," Callen explained "Agent Brody, can you talk to the guy, who gave us the information? Get the picture from him and take a sketch artist with you. I don't trust him to be such a great artist. The rest of you should take a break."

"A break, Callen? Are you serious? How am I supposed to take a break when I still don't know if my team is alive? The bastard hasn't called and doesn't keep me in the loop!"

Gibbs didn't like it to be in a time-out again. At first, he had to play babysitter for the geeks and now he should take a break.

"I know that it is hard for you, but you won't be a help for your team if you don't start to take a break sometimes."

"Come on, brother. I could use a coffee to keep my power."

Gibbs looked as if he wanted to throw something, but then he sighed and followed his friend to the elevator.

* * *

Pride had taken the long round with Gibbs, although it had been a very quiet one. The team leader hadn't talked much. Instead, he had drunk his coffee and was lost in his thoughts. At least Callen and his team had good news when the two older gentlemen returned to the squad room.

"We have a confirmation," Kensi explained "Sam's suspect sang like a little bird. He confirmed that the drawing looks kind of like the guy he met to hand over Agent Bishop. Although, he described his employer a little different. I have the feeling none of them took a good look at the guy. But Sam's suspect and his friends were hired by the same man. They kidnapped Agent Bishop, then they brought her to the woods, where they exchanged her for their money. This was the last time, they saw him and her."

"So, this guy hires others to do his dirty work. Why?" asked Pride "And when he knows that it is hard to get the agents, why does he take all of them? Why doesn't he stop with two?"

Suddenly, Nell appeared on the steps before anyone could answer Pride's questions.

"Agent Gibbs? You have a call in MTAC. It is the kidnapper."

* * *

Gibbs stormed into MTAC, closely followed by the two teams and Nell.

"Show me!"

Eric pressed a button, and the shadow man appeared on the big screen.

"Welcome back, Agent Gibbs. My apologies for taking so long, but I had to arrange some things and they took more time than I thought. I hope you haven't driven the NCIS crazy in the lasts days."

"Where is my team?"

The team leader decided to ignore the obvious side blows. He noticed that the background had changed. It looked like a metal wall, but there were no pictures, or anything personal. So he didn't search a new house. Maybe a bunker? But where was his team?

"Of course, since this is what you are waiting for. How impolite of me. It must be strange that you can't see them. I mean, you are used to seeing them every day and have them around you, and now they are all gone."

"I want to see my team!"

"Alright, here is your precious little family."

Gibbs heard how the shadow man pushed a button, then four small videos filled the screen. Gibbs took a few steps closer when he recognized the people. The videos showed his missing agents and Abby. Each of them had their own camera, which could only mean that they have been separated from the kidnapper. But the important thing was that they all were awake and even more important they were alive. Gibbs' eyes moved over the screen until they stopped at a certain black-haired forensic scientist. He couldn't hear anything because there was no sound, but he watched how she knocked on every wall and listened to the sound. That was his girl. Always trying to find a way out.

' _Don't panic. Use your head and then you'll find a way.'_

"What do you want?" asked Gibbs calmly.

It wasn't that hard anymore to regain his composure, now that he had a visual confirmation of his people being alive.

"Agent Gibbs, you disappoint me. I already told you what I want from you."

"You want me to suffer, fine. Just tell me what I have to do to save my team."

"You have to solve some riddles."

"Riddles? That's all?"

"Oh don't take them that easy, Agent Gibbs. You have to solve all the riddles to save all of your people."

"Tell me."

"Your first riddle should be on your desk by now."

"What?"

"I sent it with the mailing. When you're done, you write me the answer with the payphone, which you will find with the letter. As soon as I have the correct answer, I will call you again."

Immediately, Gibbs turned around and wanted to storm out of MTAC.

"Oh, I almost forgot the most important thing."

Slowly, the team leader walked back to the screen. Why couldn't you strangle someone through a video?

"And what would that be?"

"Your timeline. I can't give you a month to find your people. You have 110 hours to solve all riddles. If you don't make it in time your team will be dead."

"110 hours? And how many riddles do you have for me?"

"You will see. I think this was enough for today. It's already late, and I'm tired. But I'm generous, Agent Gibbs. I allow you to keep those live streams of your team so you will always know how they are doing."

"You son of a…!"

"And remember: The clock's ticking."

The video connection ended, and instead, a large countdown appeared. The sound of the seconds, which counted down rang loud in Gibbs' ears.

110 hours to solve some stupid riddles.

110 hours to find his team.

110 hours until his family was dead.

* * *

Gibbs looked at the letter as if it came from another star. The teams from LA and NOLA stood around him in a circle and waited for him to take it. He knew he was stupid to be afraid of a letter and he also knew that he was wasting time. Time his team didn't have. Finally, Pride opened the brown envelope and pulled out the white letter.

"It's a crossword."

 **/a/HCT44bs Crossword – Quiz One**

"That's all?" asked Deeks disappointed "I expected something difficult."

"Deeks," Kensi hissed and nodded in Gibbs' direction but the older agent wasn't listening.

"I'm not good with crosswords."

"Me neither, brother. Is there anyone, who can do this?"

"I would say we make copies for all of us and then we solve it together. Any complaints?" Sam suggested.

Everyone shook their heads. This would be the easiest way to come to an answer. Pride made the copies, then he handed them over.

"Okay, let's start," Deeks said and took a pencil.

* * *

"I've got it!" yelled Brody "It's AUSTRALIA!"

"I have the same solution," Kensi confirmed, "Write him that you know the answer."

Gibbs took the payphone and threw it to Kensi. There was no way he would use this thing.

"You write, Agent Blye. I can call someone and that's it."

"You don't know how to write a message?"

She looked shocked until she got the famous stare of which she had already heard so much.

"Never mind, I'll do it."

"I don't think that he will answer us tonight," Callen explained "It's late, and he already sounded tired in the video call. We should use this time to get some sleep for ourselves."

The team leader from LA looked at Gibbs for any complaints, but the ex-marine nodded in agreement. They wouldn't be any help if they were too tired to stand.

"Alright, Kensi, you write this bastard our answer. The rest of us, find a place where you can lay down for a few hours. We need a clear head for the rest of the riddles."

* * *

" _Tony, stop it! That's not funny!"_

" _If Ziva would be here she would have kicked your ass by now!"_

 _Surprised Gibbs walked up the stairs from his basement. Where were these children voices coming from? He couldn't remember letting kids in his house._

 _As soon as he reached the upper floor, he stopped immediately._

" _Not again," he whispered when he noticed the three familiar children from his office._

 _The little Tony, McGee and the overexcited Abby were in his living room and they were fighting over one of those stupid computer game things. Apparently, McGee had played with it before, but now Tony had the little computer in his hands. The geek boy tried to get it back, and Abby wanted to help her brother, but she wasn't tall or strong enough._

" _Tony, give it back!" McGee said angrily._

 _His older brother didn't hear him. He was concentrated on the game and he didn't even notice how he pushed Abby, who stood in his way when he moved to the couch. She stumbled and landed on her butt. It wasn't a hard fall, but the little girl started to cry._

 _This was the time when Gibbs decided to stop this nonsense. Maybe they weren't his children by blood, but he still couldn't see his favorite girl crying. The big tears were already running down her cheeks and dripping on her shirt._

" _TONY! Give Tim the computer game back!"_

" _It's a Nintendo, Dad, and not a computer game."_

" _I don't care what it is. You give it back or you are grounded for the next week."_

" _That's not fair! Tim and Abby are always playing! When is my turn?"_

" _Either you three make a plan, or I take it, and then no one will play with it."_

" _Fine, we'll make a schedule," Tony said, then he handed over the Nintendo to his younger brother._

 _Abby stood up and ran to Gibbs, who caught her and pulled her into his arms. A part of the team leader still knew that he had no kids and that he was dreaming. But there was a part of him, who enjoyed the feeling of being a father, even when they were fighting. And it was this part, which enjoyed the feeling of having the little Abby in his arms. The last time, he had a young child in his arms, had been a very long time ago, and even then he had been away with the Marines most of the time. Shannon had been the housewife and had taken care of Kelly._

" _Daddy, Tony pushed me."_

 _Gibbs resisted the urge to laugh out loud when he heard Abby's complaint. Of course, she tried to get him on her side._

" _He didn't do it on purpose, Abs. He was playing this game and didn't see you. He would never hurt you."_

" _But I fell on my butt."_

" _Do you feel any pain?"_

" _No."_

" _See? It wasn't that bad. Now go and play with your brothers. I'll make dinner."_

 _He gave Abby a soft kiss on her cheek, then he put her back on the ground._

' _Wait a minute! I'd make dinner? Why would I do something like that? This is a dream, just a stupid dream. Why can't my brain get the message? Because you like the feeling and the thought of being a father.'_

 _Smiling he watched how the little girl ran back to the two boys. Why shouldn't he enjoy this for a little while? It was way better than the reality, which waited for him._

" _Dad, I want a pizza!" yelled Tony._

" _No, we had pizza two days ago," Abby objected "I want a burger."_

" _That's not true."_

" _Guys, what do you think of pasta?" Gibbs suggested, "I thought about Spaghetti Bolognese."_

" _I'm in," McGee answered, while he continued to play._

" _Yeah, I guess spaghetti are fine," Abby admitted._

 _Tony's answer was a loud sigh. He knew that he was outnumbered, and this was his way to say that he surrendered. The team leader shook his head in amusement, then he walked back to his kitchen to prepare the dinner._

 _He just started to warm up the water when he heard a strange melody. It kind of sounded like the one of an ice cream car, but it didn't sound right. Immediately, he felt how his gut tried to warn him, but he couldn't figure out what was bothering him._

" _It's the ice cream guy! Tony! Tim! Look!"_

" _Come on, Tim. Let's get some ice cream for dinner."_

 _It took Gibbs a few seconds to understand what the kids were saying. Then he heard how someone opened his front door. Immediately, he understood the warning from his gut._

" _Don't go outside!"_

 _He ran to the door as fast as possible. The living room was empty, but he saw how the three children ran towards the big car. But when the window opened itself, there was no nice man with a big smile on his face. Instead, there was a guy, who stood in the dark. He grabbed the hands of the little kids and pulled them into the car with one strong pull._

" _NO!"_

 _Gibbs tried to run faster, but it was useless. Only seconds before he reached the car, it drove away. Bewildered he followed the vehicle with his eyes, while the ice cream melody rang in his ears. Gone. His kids were gone. Again. Again, he'd deserted them. They had needed his help, but he hadn't been fast enough. He was a terrible father! Desperately, the team leader sank to the ground and hid his face in his hands. When would this nightmare end?_

* * *

 **/a/hR1siJN Crossword 1 - Solution**


	8. Chapter 8

**Dear readers, I'm sorry that I didn't upload the new chapter yesterday, but I had a small operation yesterday and I was really tired afterward. But now you get the new one.**

 **How did you like the first riddle? Did anyone try it?**

 **Enjoy the new chapter :)**

 **I don't own anything. The characters belong to CBS.**

Chapter 8

Gibbs watched the dark display of the cell phone and waited for a sign of the kidnapper. He was awake since 5 am, the moment when his nightmare had ended. The countdown went down on the plasma screen. From 110 hours were only 102 hours left.

"Since when are you awake?"

Tired Gibbs turned towards the team leader of the LA-team.

"Since an hour."

"Since when are you staring at the phone?"

"Why are you awake?"

"I'm always up early. I don't think that he will call you on the phone."

"Me neither, but it is the only connection I have to him. And I need to do something if I don't want to get crazy."

"And starring on this thing counts as doing something?"

Gibbs thought about it, then he put a case file over the stupid device. Callen was right. He did nothing, and the call wouldn't come quicker if he kept starring.

"I feel like I'm doing nothing to help them."

"That's not true, and you know it. You called us for help. And I don't know your team very well, but I'm pretty sure they know that you'll try everything you can think of to save them."

"I want them back. They are my family, and I need them."

"You will. I promise that you will see them again."

"Alright, I need a coffee. I can't see this countdown anymore."

"I'll come with you," Callen sighed and followed the special agent to the elevator.

* * *

Gibbs needed three coffees until they got another call in MTAC. The live videos from his team were still visible, but they were sleeping for the moment. The LA and NOLA-team hid in the dark, while Eric pressed a button to accept the call.

"Good morning, Agent Gibbs. Did you sleep very well?"

"I solved your riddle. Where is my team?"

"Didn't I tell you not to take them too easily? You solved ONE riddle. But there are more."

"Then give me the second one."

"Drive to Pizzeria Paradise and order a Quattro Formaggi pizza. They will give you your second riddle. Enjoy the pizza."

The screen went dark before Gibbs could say anything. What was this all about? Why should he buy a pizza? Slowly, the agents came out of the dark.

"He wants you to eat a pizza?" asked Deeks suspicious "I would say he is stalling."

"He wants to keep Agent Gibbs occupied, so he will feel the time pressure," Kensi explained.

Gibbs' look turned to one of the four live videos. His favorite lab rat lied in an embryonal position on an old mattress and was sleeping peacefully. Why did the bastard take her? She was not an agent. Why her?

"Sam and I drive to the pizzeria and…"

"No, I'll go. This bastard probably told the customer about me. He won't hand you the riddle."

"Good point, but you shouldn't go alone."

"I'll go with him," Pride said "I don't think that the guy will be stupid enough to wait for in the pizzeria. It would be a waste of energy to take all of us. Take a break, while we are gone."

"Call if you need our help," Callen replied.

Gibbs took a deep breath before he found the strength to turn away from Abby's video. He would rescue her. No matter how. The ex-marine left MTAC followed by his 'brother'. The rest of the teams stayed and looked at the four videos of the sleeping agents.

"It is really hard for him to see them like that, right?" asked Deeks.

"It would be hard for everyone, Deeks," Sam said "They are his family. We have to find them soon."

* * *

Half an hour later, Gibbs parked the car on the opposite side of the pizzeria.

"Are you sure that you don't want me to come with you?" asked Pride.

"I don't want to give this bastard any hints that I have help. And as long as I don't know his face, he could be anyone. So, I won't risk it."

"Fine, I'll give you five minutes then I…"

"No, you wait here. You can come if I start to shoot someone, but otherwise, you stay here."

"I don't like this plan."

"Pride, I'm losing time."

"Alright, go, I'll wait here."

Gibbs opened his door before his friend could argue again. It was early, so the pizzeria was almost empty. A young man with an apron worked behind the counter and smiled at the team leader when he entered the room.

"Good morning, Sir. What can I do for you? We make the best pizzas in Washington and…"

"I take a Quattro Formaggi."

"Are you sure? We have so much more offers. I could…."

"I'm sure."

"Okay, a Quattro Formaggi, just a moment please."

The young man turned around and started with Gibbs' pizza, while the nervous ex-marine looked around. He saw nothing dangerous. A middle-aged man sat on a table with a piece of a pizza, and the newspaper in his hand. He didn't seem like a guy, who planned the kidnapping of federal agents.

The pizza needed ten minutes, and no one was giving Gibbs the next riddle. What if the kidnapper had lied to him? What if there was no second riddle and the guy was mocking him? What if he never intended to release the agents?

Being lost in his thoughts, Gibbs paid the pizza and walked to the door, when the young man called his name.

"Excuse me, but is your name 'Gibbs'?"

"Who wants to know that?"

"A boy gave me something for you."

Relieved Gibbs turned around and took the envelope with his name on it from the customer.

"A boy, hm?"

"Yeah, he said a man gave him ten bugs for giving me this and to tell me that an older guy named Gibbs would come and order a Quattro Formaggi and that I should hand this over."

"Thank you."

Quickly, Gibbs left the pizzeria and went back to his car. He threw the pizza box in the back and got into the car himself. Pride looked as if he was ready to kill Gibbs, but when he saw the envelope, he forgot about his anger.

"You got it?"

Instead of an answer, Gibbs opened his reward and pulled out a white card. On it was written a long line of numbers.

"What the hell is that?"

"Maybe some kind of code."

"Anything else?"

Gibbs handed his brother the card, then he ripped the envelope open. Maybe there was a hidden message.

"Gibbs, look."

The team leader from New Orleans showed his 'brother' the backside of the card.

'Well done, Agent Gibbs. You find the next riddle in the pizzeria named District of Theo. This time you take a Delmar.'

"He wants to drive me crazy."

"I think Detective Deeks is right. This guy is stalling. Well, we don't have a chance. Drive, we can't waste any more time."

Sighing Gibbs handed over the envelope, while Pride wrote the name of the pizzeria and the number 'one' on it. They would try to solve the riddle when they were back at the Navy Yard.

* * *

The second card looked identically. A long line of numbers and on the backside the address of a third pizzeria called `Angelina Pizzeria´. Gibbs was glad that Pride took care of the riddles because he would have ripped them into tiny little pieces. This hunt would go on forever.

They reached the third pizzeria, and Gibbs bought his third pizza, a Vegetariano. She landed in the back of the car with the other two pizza boxes. Annoyed, Gibbs opened the envelope and pulled out a new white card.

"I don't know if I can continue this bullshit. I'm buying pizzas, I'm driving through the whole city, and all he gives me are stupid numbers. What is his plan?"

"Read the note."

' _Congratulations, Agent Gibbs. You've got all three parts of the second riddle. Send me a message when you have found the answer, then I can tell you about the third riddle.'_

"Finally, let's go back to the Navy Yard. We need to solve these riddles, and I'm getting really hungry with these pizzas in the back," Pride said and took a glance at the closed boxes.

"You can eat them when we are back."

* * *

Gibbs threw one box on Dinozzo's desk and the other one on Bishop's desk. Pride had the last one in his hands and was already eating. Gibbs couldn't eat, not even the tiniest piece. He ignored the cheers of the agents when they saw the food. Instead, he moved to the plasma screen and looked at the live videos. His people were all awake now, but this time they seemed calmer. Apparently, they started to use their heads by observing their prison. He could only hope that they would find a way to escape.

"What took you so long? Did you guys get stuck in the traffic?" asked Deeks, then he pushed a big part of his piece in his mouth "Or couwn't yow deshide on sthe pisha?"

"He split the riddle into three parts and those were spread over the town," Gibbs answered and ignored the last question "We had to visit three different pizzerias, and I had to buy three different pizzas. How long are they awake?"

"I would say for an hour. Show us the riddles," Callen said.

The team leader from LA didn't want to give Gibbs the time to think too much about his team. It would only depress him. Sadly, Callen's plan didn't work that well. The ex-marine pulled out the envelopes and handed them over to the younger agent, but his eyes never left the screen. Callen opened the first riddle and gave the other ones to Kensi and Brody.

"Numbers? That's all?" asked Kensi surprised.

"You have pizza and you don't call us?"

Nell and Eric appeared in the squad room and they seemed very hungry. Callen closed the pizza box quickly before Eric could grab a piece.

"Hey! Why are you guys allowed to eat, and we have to buy something ourselves?"

"You can have a piece when you give us an answer to those numbers."

Eric thought about it, then he accepted the challenge.

"Let's see. We have a lot of numbers, multiplication, division, subtraction, and addition. That's easy. What are we in kindergarten?"

"Good, you have three of them."

Kensi and Brody handed him their cards with big smiles on their face. Maybe he shouldn't have said this too early.

"Come on, I'll help you," Nell suggested and took one of the cards.

 **1.**

83 x 9 – 43 + 58 : 2 – 17 x 5 – 186 : 2 + 34 x 4 : 8 – 361,5 : 8 + 86 x 6 – 45 : 3 + 11 : 4 x 2 – 34 x 3 + 24 : 6 – 13 x 5 + 52 : 2 – 71 + 11 : 4

 **2.**

92 – 43 : 7 x 15 + 54 – 13 x 4 : 2 + 71 : 3 x 7 – 69 + 24 : 8 – 5,25 x 3 – 38 x 5 : 2 + 58 – 17,5 : 4 x 2 + 91 – 34 : 4 x 3 – 29,5 : 5 + 12 : 8

 **3.**

6 x 34 + 360 – 173 : 4 + 36 x 7 – 281,25 : 5 + 327 – 68 x 3 – 406 : 8 + 714 – 82,75 x 2 – 537,5 + 61 : 4 + 629,75 : 2 x 6 – 753 + 21 : 12 – 57,5 : 4 – 20 – 4

The two geeks needed five minutes to solve the riddles with the help of the computers.

"This guy is a bastard. Normally you would have to do the…"

"Eric, we don't want a lecture, we need the solution," Sam interrupted.

"And you shall have it. The first number is a 4, the second one an 8, and the third one is a 1. Can I now have the pizza?"

"Knock yourself out. Kensi, write the kidnapper our answer."

"So now, we have the word 'AUSTRALIA' and three numbers. What do they have in common?" asked Chris.

"That's a good question, Chris. Let's just hope that the kidnapper will tell us about it soon."

* * *

An hour passed until they got a new call from MTAC. Gibbs was the first one, who entered the room. Impatiently he waited until the teams hid in the dark, and Eric pressed the button. The shadow man appeared and Gibbs cut him off before he could say anything.

"The second riddle is solved. Now what?"

"Well done, Agent Gibbs. Now you only need to solve the third riddle and then you have everything to find your first team member."

"Give me all the riddles at once. This whole writing-then-calling stuff is useless."

"Sorry, I can't do this. You have to solve one riddle at the time."

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious? I don't want this game to be over so soon. Three solved riddles, then you get the location from one of your team members."

"You're a bastard."

"Be careful, Agent Gibbs. You don't want to anger me. You won't find them without me. And you will lose time if I decide that you need a longer break between my calls."

"Fine, tell me the next riddle."

"You should get it very soon. Good luck, finding the first one, Agent Gibbs."

The screen went dark.

"Damn it!"

The special agent left MTAC before anyone could stop him. He needed this last riddle! This little thing was the last step between and rescuing one of his people! But there was nothing on his desk. Gibbs turned every paper he saw, but nothing looked like a riddle.

"Gibbs, you need to calm down," Callen said.

"Calm down?! You want me to calm down?! How am I supposed to do that?! My team, my family, is missing! They're locked in air-tight rooms – at least it looks that way – and I only have 90 hours left to find them! But to do this I need that last stupid riddle, which I can't find! So don't tell me to calm down, because this is the last thing I….!"

"Agent Gibbs?"

All heads turned to the mailman, who had appeared with his cart. He was holding a letter in his shaking hand.

"I have a letter for you."

The poor guy shrugged when the furious old man took the letter out of his hands and ripped it open.

"What the hell is that?"

The LA and NOLA-team came closer to get a better look.

"This is Sudoku," Brody explained.

"What?" Pride and Gibbs asked unison.

"It's a riddle, which became at the end of 2005 very popular."

Gibbs looked at the riddle again. How should he solve this one?

* * *

 **/a/WVHJn4C Sudoku 1**

 **This riddle is from „Rätselblock Sudoku Nr. 117", the riddle on page 63.**

 **Level of difficulty: moderate**

 **Again you will have to enter imgur .com before the link.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you for the nice reviews. I love all of them :D**

 **And yes, the shadow man is driving Gibbs insane, and I can promise you guys, you will hear more of him.**

 **Enjoy the new chapter:)  
**

 **The solution for the first Sudoku: /a/6gbWc85 (Remember to enter imgur .com in front of the link)  
**

 **I don't own anything. The characters belong to CBS.**

Chapter 9

Impatiently Gibbs watched the two teams. Each member had a copy of this 'so donko', and was trying to solve it. Pride and he were the only ones, who weren't working.

"How long do you think they will need?" Pride whispered quietly.

"I don't know. I have never heard of this kind of riddle. I just hope that it won't take much time."

"It seems complicated."

"Yeah, but we never saw such a thing before. They have. Maybe it's easier than we think."

"I've got it!" Brody said and stood up "It's a 6."

"Nonsense, it's a 2," Deeks replied.

"Sorry, Deeks, but she is right. It's a 6," Chris answered.

"Sam and I agree with the guys from NOLA."

"Really? But I was sure…"

"Alright, enough with this useless discussion," Pride interrupted, "The kidnapper said that we need to solve three riddles to get the location of one of the missing agents. I would say, he was talking about the solutions, because I don't think the kind of riddles nor the places we got them will bring us closer. We have the word 'AUSTRALIA', and we have the numbers 481 and now 6. How do they help us to find anyone?"

"Why don't we give Nell and Eric those numbers? Maybe they can help us," Kensi suggested, "After all, they are really good with numbers."

Pride turned to Gibbs, who had no complaints. He just wanted the location.

"Sure, I could use a coffee anyway."

* * *

Two hours later, everyone sat together in MTAC and listened to the two computer geeks.

"We tried everything we could and it took us a while, but we think we found the answer," Nell explained.

"Yes, we thought about coordinates, phone numbers, post office boxes, house numbers,…"

"I think they get it, Eric."

"You're right, sorry. I'm just that excited. We are so close to finding one of them. I mean this is the first time we are…"

"Eric! Just tell us!"

Even Callen was annoyed yet. They were running out of time!

"We think this is the solution," Nell said and clicked.

The picture of a container appeared on the big screen.

"Ehm, guys? This is a container. Do you think the guy shipped the agents to another country?" asked Deeks, who was barely impressed.

A look in the eyes of the other attendees said that everyone else doubted the idea of the geeks too.

"He didn't ship them. At least, I hope he didn't. No, it's the only thing that makes sense. 'AUSTRALIA' tells us from where the containers come, and the numbers describe the container," Nell explained, "We are 90% sure that you will find someone in there."

Everyone turned to Gibbs, who stared at the four live videos from his team. They had stopped trying to find a way out.

"What do you think, brother? Shall we risk it?"

Should they? What if they were wrong? Portland wasn't around the corner. They would lose a lot of time. But what if they were right? Who would he save?

"Let's move."

* * *

Impatiently Gibbs waited in front of the container 'AU 4816'. It had taken them a while to convince the CEO that this wasn't a joke. That they truly believe to find an agent in one of the containers. If the ex-marine was honest with himself then he would say he wasn't believing it. Who would hide his victims in a metal box? But more important was what if they were wrong? They had no other solutions. Would the shadow man call and give them a hint? Or would he let the team die?

 _`Think about it later. Now concentrate on the present. Maybe the geeks were right, and we find someone inside.´_

Gibbs was standing with the two teams in front of the container with their loaded guns in their hands. Chris had a bolt clipper in his hand and was ready to crush the lock. Who would be inside? Gibbs hoped that it would be Abby. He didn't like the thought of his little girl being in such a container. Besides, she wasn't an agent. She was a forensic scientist, who shouldn't get involved in their dangerous lives.

"Open it," Pride said and the young agent from New Orleans obeyed.

He pulled the doors wide open with the help from Deeks. Suddenly a pillow flew out of the container and hit Sam. A blanket followed, which buried Brody, then they heard a loud scream, which sounded like the scream of a warrior, and a person left the container.

"Federal agents! Freeze!" yelled the remaining agents.

But it was already too late. The person couldn't stop anymore and crushed into Callen, which ended in a hard fall.

"Whoa!"

Everyone turned their flashlights on the poor agent, who was now lying on the ground, and on top of him was…

"Bishop!"

Gibbs felt disappointment that it wasn't Abby, only to feel guilty in the next second. He found one of his agents! This was an improvement because it meant they were on the right path! It's possible that the rest of his team is in a container too. Still, he wished they would have found Abby.

The blonde woman had a bloody wound on her forehead, while she tried to get used to the flashlights. She probably had expected that her kidnapper was coming to kill her and not to blind her. Then Gibbs remembered what Jake had told him about Bishop's kidnapping.

" _One of the masked men used his gun to hit her. Unconscious, she landed on Jake."_

Quickly, he put his gun away and turned his flashlight off.

"Call an ambulance!"

It wasn't an order to anyone specific. He just hoped that one of them would do it. Then he went over to the female agent.

"Gibbs? Is that you?"

She must have recognized his voice when he yelled the order.

"Yes, and the man beneath you is Special Agent Callen."

"Nice to meet you, Agent Bishop," Callen said calmly.

Gibbs was impressed with how calm the young agent stayed. It couldn't be comfortable on the ground, but it seemed that he didn't want to scare the exhausted woman, so he waited until she took everything in and realized that she was safe. Luckily for him, Bishop noticed pretty quickly that he wasn't a threat to her and stood up. Gibbs grabbed her arm to steady her when she started to sway dangerously.

"Take it easy."

"I just need a minute and then I'm okay."

"You wait until a doctor checked on you and gave his approval."

"That's not necessary, I'm…"

The container exploded before she could finish her sentence. The blast sent all agents on the ground with a loud ringing in their ears. Gibbs needed a few minutes until the strange sound got quieter and he was able to hear other noises. Callen was awake too and was trying to get back on his feet.

"Are you alright?"

Callen's voice was a little muffled, but it got better.

"Nothing is broken," Gibbs answered, "Where is Bishop?"

"Next to you. I think the blast was too much for her. I'll check on the rest of the team."

Gibbs nodded, then he turned to his other side. The young woman lied beside him, but she was unconscious again. The team leader did a quick check on her, but he couldn't see any new injuries, which were good news. Still, she needed to see a doctor. Gibbs took in his surroundings. Callen and Sam were helping Kensi and Brody. Brody had a small cut on her forehead, while Kensi was fine. Pride was checking on his agent, while Deeks was still lying on the ground. Strangely, it looked as if he was kind of communicating with his friends.

The ex-marine sat down. While he waited for the ambulance to arrive, his thoughts started to think about the new problems. Where did this bomb come from, and who detonated it? But more important was: Where the hell was the rest of his team?

* * *

An hour later, Gibbs sat in front of Bishop's room in the Johns Hopkins Hospital. The ambulance had brought Bishop here, and since then, the doctors were checking on the kidnapped agent. Brody had a quick check over at the port and had been released pretty quick.

Kensi and Deeks went with him to the hospital, while the other agents tried to solve the mystery of the bomb. The two younger agents kept their distance to the old man. He couldn't say if it was because he looked terrible, or if Callen had warned them and had given them some instructions.

"Agent Gibbs?"

One of the doctors came out of Bishop's room. Gibbs wanted to storm inside but thought it would be wiser to listen to the doctor first.

"That's me?"

"I'm Doctor Nelson."

"How is my agent?"

"She has some minor injuries. A head wound, probably from a punch with a hard object, a taser wound, which I don't want to think about how she got that one, and the skin on her wrists and knuckles is rubbed. What happened to her?"

"She was kidnapped. Can I talk to her?"

"I gave her a sedative to calm down. It was hard for us to make our examination when the person won't hold still."

"When can I talk to her?"

"Try it tomorrow in the morning. Then she should…"

"I don't have that much time. Can I take her back to DC?"

"That's impossible, Agent Gibbs. Right now, she is in no condition to make this transfer. I'm sorry, but you have to wait until tomorrow. Have a good night."

Dr. Nelson left, and Kensi and Deeks walked over.

"What did the doctor say?" asked Kensi concerned.

"They gave her a sedative, and she sleeps now."

"So, we can't talk to her about what happened?"

"No, we have to wait until tomorrow."

Sighing Gibbs went back to his chair, while Kensi and Deeks looked at each other. They didn't need words to talk. When they came to an agreement, they moved closer to the older special agent.

"Hey, man, Kensi and I, we… talked about our next moves."

Tired Gibbs forced himself to look up, although, he was certain he didn't want to hear this.

"Well, tonight, there is nothing we can do so far. So, why don't you call Callen and the other guy, and you guys drive back to DC?"

"Bishop is my agent. And maybe she has some information about…"

"What my partner means is that you are needed in Washington. You have to be there when the kidnapper calls again. He only talks to you. So you should go back and wait for his call."

"He won't call tonight."

"I'm aware, but you need sleep. Drive home, take a nap and allow us to keep an eye on your agent."

Gibbs thought about the words of the female special agent. She was way better in convincing someone than her partner. And she was right. He was exhausted and needed a few hours of good sleep.

"Fine, you stay here. But you call me as soon as something changes."

"Sure, man. This will be easy. Piece of a cake."

"Ignore him. He is a good cop, but his brain and his mouth are sometimes not connected, and then you get something like this."

"I do hope he is better at shooting than speaking."

* * *

Frustrated Gibbs sat on his couch with a beer in his hand and looked at the dark TV. He had driven home after they had arrived at the Navy Yard. The live videos of his team and the countdown would wait in the squad room for him, and Gibbs couldn't look at them anymore. He was already going crazy.

Why did the kidnapper give him Bishop back? Why couldn't he release Abby first? Gibbs knew that he would feel way better when he would know that his favorite forensic scientist would be safe. Hell, he probably wouldn't have left the hospital until she would have woken up. Yeah, he knew that this wasn't fair to the rest of the team, but he couldn't deny his feelings. She was his favorite. His little girl. His daughter. And he would always protect her.

Suddenly, he heard how someone opened his front door. He pointed his gun at the intruder within seconds. Right now, he was in the mood 'shoot-first-ask-later'.

"Gibbs?" a familiar voice called.

Pride walked in and shrugged when he saw the gun. His first instinct was to pull his own gun, but he resisted.

"Hell, brother. If you are scared of unwelcomed guests, then you should start to lock your doors."

"I'm not scared. I'm just not in the mood for a visit."

"It's just me."

"I can see that. What do you want?"

Gibbs laid the gun back on his table, while Pride came closer, although he was more careful now.

"I thought it would be a good idea to check on you."

"I'm fine."

This time, Pride laughed out loud, then he sat down on the table.

"Really, you want to play this game? You forget that I was Franks' student too when you arrived at NIS. And even when you two weren't talking much about your past, I'd always seen when you felt terrible."

"That's not true."

"You are far from being good, Gibbs. Your team is missing and you only got one back tonight."

"Thanks, Pride, without you I wouldn't have noticed."

"Stop being such a bastard."

"I am a bastard. Always was, always will be."

"Does Abby think that too?"

This time, Pride got the evil eye, but he didn't care. He knew his 'brother' for a long time now, and even a blind person could see that Gibbs wasn't feeling well at this moment.

"Don't," Gibbs responded in a threating tone.

"What? Am I not allowed to speak about Abby? You do remember that I was the one, who met her first, right?"

"She belongs to my team."

"She does now. But if I'm honest, maybe I should take her back to New Orleans. I never brought her in danger. She never got kidnapped or attacked and she had a family. Yeah, I think I should talk to Vance about it."

Pride didn't see Gibbs' fist. He didn't even have a chance to react before the hand made contact with his cheek.

"Stay away from Abby! She is mine!" Gibbs said icily.

"You can't keep her safe. I, on the other hand, I can…"

Those words were too much for the old ex-marine. The bottle landed on the ground with a loud splatter, but Gibbs didn't bother. This time, he didn't punch his 'brother'. Instead, he put his hands around Pride's throat and squeezed. The surprised agent pulled back, and the two men landed on the floor.

"I keep her safe! I promised it to her!"

"Then why isn't she here?" Pride coughed, while his face started to turn red "Because you failed."

Angry Gibbs squeezed tighter when suddenly, a fist hit his face hard. Pride fought back. Gibbs got off the team leader from NOLA and held his hurting cheek, while Pride tried to catch his breath again.

"Why are you here?" asked Gibbs in frustration.

"I wanted you to face the real reason why you are depressed."

"And what's that?"

"Abby. You are angry that she is still out there, the victim of a crazy man. And you are angry because you feel helpless."

Gibbs thought about his next words. Finally, he remembered that this was Pride. His friend, his brother. This guy was one of the few people on this planet, who really knew him.

"I failed her."

His words were barely a whisper, and when it wouldn't have been that silent in the house, Pride wouldn't have heard him.

"No, you didn't. She is a grown-up woman. You can't protect her forever. She has a personal life too, and I'm pretty sure that there are a few things she does without you."

"You don't understand. I promised her to keep her safe."

"You couldn't know that there was a psychopath, who is obsessed with you."

"Our job is dangerous. Every day we could get killed, but Abby is a forensic scientist. She shouldn't even know what danger is."

"Gibbs, I promised you that we will get them back and I keep my promises. You will see your girl again and then it is up to you if you want to lock her in her lab, or in your basement, to keep her safe."

"I thought you wanted to take her away to New Orleans."

"Oh come on, as if Abby would ever leave you. She adores you. You are her hero, her knight in shining armor. The only way for me to bring her to New Orleans is to cuff her. There is no way she would come with me on her own."

The men got quiet again, while Gibbs thought about Pride's words. He knew that Abby liked Pride, just as she had liked Franks, but there was no way she would leave Washington. She loved her job, the team, her lab, and yes, she liked him – the old ex-marine – too. She was his little girl, his favorite, and she knew it.

"No, she wouldn't," Gibbs confirmed finally, which made Pride smiling.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you for your nice reviews. I'm glad you like the story :D**

 **As you already know, please enter imgur .com in front of the links.**

 **Enjoy the chapter :D**

 **I don't own anything. The characters belong to CBS.**

Chapter 10

"Come on, time to get up, Sleeping Beauty. We don't have time to sleep in."

Pride's answer was a loud growl, then he threw the pillow he was sleeping on in Gibbs' direction, but he missed him, unfortunately.

"Go away. Your armchair is absolutely uncomfortable to sleep in it."

Gibbs picked up the pillow and threw it on his couch.

"And whose fault is that?"

"Yours."

"You wish. I told you to take the guest room, but you refused."

Slowly, the tired team leader of New Orleans opened his eyes, only to stare angrily at his 'brother'.

"I couldn't leave you alone. I wasn't sure that you would do something stupid."

"Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better. You have ten minutes to get ready. If you're not done, I'll drive to the Navy Yard alone. The kidnapper will probably call again with the next riddle for me, and I have to be prepared."

Gibbs turned around and left for his kitchen.

"How is it possible that he is already awake?" grumbled Pride, while he tried to shake off the tiredness.

* * *

In the end, Pride made it in ten minutes with the help of coffee. When they arrived, at the squad room they were surprised to see Callen, Sam, Brody, and Chris, who were already awake.

"Morning, King."

"Morning, since when are you here, Chris?"

"We never left. We took a nap and then we worked on the container. Or what's left of it."

"Anything about the explosion?" asked Gibbs, and this time it was Sam, who answered.

"The bomb was connected to the door. When someone opens them, we have two minutes before the container explodes. I don't know it for sure, but I would bet that the kidnapper prepared the other hideouts just like this one."

"Did he call again?"

"Not yet, but we just have 0730. It may take a while before he calls again."

"I don't have the time to wait for his call. Three members of my team are still missing and I don't know anything about the condition from Bishop."

At this moment, Callen's phone rang. He took a quick glance at the caller-ID before he answered it and put it on speaker.

"Morning, Kens. How was your night?"

"We didn't sleep very much, to be honest, but that's fine."

"Speak for yourself," Deeks said out of the back and he sounded tired.

"Anyway, we thought Agent Gibbs would like to hear an update on his agent."

"I do."

"Oh, good morning, Agent Gibbs. I didn't know that you…"

"Update, Agent Blye."

"Of course, I'm sorry to tell you, but nothing has changed yet. Agent Bishop is still sleeping, but the doctors say that she will be fine. Deeks and I, we will stay here until she awakes."

"Good, we'll send you two agents, who will take over, so you can help us here," Callen explained.

"Understood. I'll call if something changes. See you later."

"Bye."

"Well, those were good news. At least, it means we don't need to worry about Bishop anymore," Pride said, "One down, three left. Let's concentrate on them. We have a little more than 75 hours left. This sounds like we have a lot of time to solve riddles, but considering the whole driving to the port and everything, it turns out that we are running out of time."

"All we can do right now is to wait for the next riddle," Brody mentioned.

Depressed Gibbs sat down behind his desk and stared at the stupid countdown.

* * *

This time, the kidnapper waited until 10 am before he called. Eric informed the teams, which quickly made their way upstairs.

"Hello, Agent Gibbs. How is Agent Bishop doing?"

"You said nothing about a bomb."

"Didn't I? I'm sorry, I could have sworn that I mentioned it. Well, then I will tell you about it now. I planted bombs, and when you try to trick me, I will activate them. If you try to open more than one hideout, I will activate them. If you don't play by my rules, I will activate them. Do I have to go on?"

"I get your message," Gibbs answered with gritted teeth.

"Good, very good. I'm glad to hear that."

"Just tell me one thing. Why did you activate this bomb? I played by your rules, I only opened one container. So, why the bomb?"

"I wanted to show you how serious this all is to me. Yes, you got one agent back, but I needed to show you that the others are still in danger and that I only need to push one button to kill them all."

"Why don't you kill me?! Why do you take my team as hostages?!"

"Because I hate them as much as I hate you. Well, no that's not entirely true. I hate you more, but what would be so funny in killing you? You would die quickly and you wouldn't suffer enough. Now you feel terrible and the whole situation is killing you inside. This is so much more fun than simply killing you. Do you have more questions, or do you want your next riddle?"

"Riddle."

"Good decision. Take a look at your desk. The letter should have arrived by now. I'll wait for your answer. Have a nice day, Agent Gibbs."

"Damn it!"

As soon as the screen went dark, Gibbs stormed out of MTAC. Even from the stairs, he was able to recognize the brown envelope, which was lying on his desk. Other than yesterday, he didn't wait. This time, he ripped it open and pulled out a new crossword.

"And the game starts again."

 **Crossword 2**

 **/a/PFDIRF7**

Brody and Sam sat in front of the crossword, while Gibbs walked up and down. He tried to ignore the three live videos – especially Abby's – but every time he passed the screen, his gaze went to it immediately. The two boys and Abby didn't move anymore. Abby and Tim were lying on a blanket, and Tony sat on his mattress. Obviously, they were trying to save air since there was no way out. Who knew how much they had already lost? It was better for them to wait until they would rescue them. The only problem was that it now looked as if they were dead, and only when Gibbs concentrated on their chest's, he saw that they were still breathing.

"The new land is RUSSIA," Brody said.

"Give me a second then I'm done too."

All eyes were on Sam, but he stayed calm and finished his paper.

"Okay done. She is right. Write him the answer, G."

"So, he uses the same riddle like the first time. This could mean that we have to solve three riddles again to get another agent, who could also be in a container," Pride said.

"There is only one problem. The kidnapper won't let us open all containers in this port at once. If we would give the order, he would activate the bombs," Chris answered, "Which means, we have to solve three riddles, get one agent, solve three riddles, get one agent…"

"This version will cost us some time. Especially the second riddle where he sends us across the town."

"Agent Gibbs?"

Everyone turned around to the young man, who was standing beside Bishop's desk. Gibbs recognized him immediately, although their last meeting had been years ago. In front of him stood Kyle Davis, Abby's biological brother. He looked lost and afraid and reminded the team leader so much of his missing forensic scientist.

"Kyle, what are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry that I came here without calling, but I didn't know what I should do or where to go."

Sighing Gibbs left his chair. He had to wait for the kidnapper's call anyway, so, he had some time for a little talk with Abby's brother.

"Come on, follow me. I know a place where we can talk."

* * *

"Where is my sister?"

Kyle didn't waste any time. As soon as Gibbs had closed the door of the conference room, the young man couldn't wait anymore.

"Today, we planned to have lunch together, but she didn't show up. She didn't even call, and when I try to reach her I get her mailbox. I left like ten messages. Why isn't she calling me back? Or text me? I don't a call, all I want is a simple…"

"Stop."

Immediately, the tensed young man closed his mouth. He knew Gibbs a little bit and his sister had told him more than once that her boss could be grumpy sometimes, but that he was actually really nice. Except when he was stressed or tired, and both of those things fit on Gibbs today.

"I see that the 'talk-too-much' gen runs in the family, which explains from who Abby got that part," Gibbs sighed, while he poured coffee into two cups.

"When I'm nervous I start to talk and talk and it is hard for me to stop."

"Don't worry. Abby is just like you. Sit down."

Gibbs saw that Abby's little brother hesitated, but in the end, he followed his order.

"Where do I start?"

"My sister isn't here."

It wasn't a question. Kyle wasn't stupid. He knew that Gibbs would have brought him to his sister if she would be in the building. Still, Gibbs nodded. He had no idea how he should explain the poor boy that Abby got kidnapped, and that it was his mistake.

"She told me that she is a forensic scientist, so, I assume that she isn't on an undercover mission."

"No, she isn't."

"Then please, tell me where she is. I know that I just found her and that I don't know much about her, but I care for her and I need to know what happened."

"She got kidnapped five days ago."

Silence filled the room. The team leader saw Kyle's blank face and could only imagine how the cogs worked behind his eyes. He wanted to explain Kyle everything, but the words didn't want to leave his lips. It was as if his lips were sealed.

Finally, Abby's brother found his speech again.

"Kidnapped? By who?"

"We don't know yet. We're still working on that."

"But… but… did she anger someone? But she is so nice to everyone. Could it be someone, who she helped to put away? Or…?"

"Kyle, she isn't the only one. My whole team got kidnapped."

"And… did the kidnapper called?"

"Yes."

"What does he want?"

"He wants to play games. I have to solve riddles and when I solved enough he gives me my team back one by one."

"How many riddles have you solved by now?"

"Four."

"Four? So, he has to release them all, right?"

Gibbs saw the shimmer of hope in the eyes of the young man, which hurt his heart. Sadly, he shook his head. Immediately, the small shimmer died, which hurt even more.

"I have to solve three riddles to get back one of my people."

"I assume that you didn't get Abby back, didn't you?"

Again, Gibbs shook his head, and suddenly, he knew what Kyle's next question would be.

"Why didn't he kidnap you?"

Quickly, he took a gulp of his coffee to buy himself some time. But Kyle was just like his sister, so, he never turned his eyes from the poor agent. Finally, Gibbs put down his cup and opened his mouth to give an answer. Suddenly, someone knocked and opened the door without waiting for an invitation. Pride was standing in the door.

"Hey, brother. We could use you downstairs. We have… some problems."

* * *

'Problems' was an understatement. Apparently, the partners of his team talked to the parents, because the office was full of people now. Gibbs recognized Mr. DiNozzo senior and McGee's grandmother Penelope. Furthermore, Jake was back. Penelope was the first, who noticed the stressed team leader.

"Is it true? Timothy got kidnapped?"

"Good morning, Miss Langston."

"Don't try to be nice. Tell me the truth."

"Yes, your grandson got kidnapped."

"And Junior? What about him?"

"Tony too."

"And when did you think about telling us this amazing news?" asked an angry Penelope.

A part of Gibbs understood her anger. He wouldn't like it either to be left out of the loop. But this was not the time to debate and be angry. He was running out of time.

"I didn't. Do you want to know why? Because I'm running out of time. Like you can see on the screen, I only have 72 hours left to save the last three members of my team."

"Three? Does this mean that you…?"

"Yes, Jake, we were able to save Bishop last night. She is in the hospital of Baltimore."

At least, Jake didn't need a second invitation. He grabbed his coat and ran to the elevator as fast as possible.

"Mr. DiNozzo, Miss Langston, Kyle, you are welcomed to stay with our Medical Examiner Dr. Mallard, or you go home. We call you if we find your son, your grandson, and your sister. But you can't stay here in the squad room. You would distract us, and I don't have the nerves to have a longer discussion with you."

"Gibbs, this is my son we're talking about. I need to know what happened. I know that I'm not the best dad in the world, but he is still my son."

"I know that you want answers, Mr. DiNozzo, but that's all I can say for now. So, tell me: which option do you choose? Morgue or home?"

"I go home," Kyle said, "I'm not such a big fan of dead people. Just promise me that you'll call me."

"I promise."

Kyle watched the ex-marine closely before he gave up and left the office. Mr. DiNozzo senior watched the young man, then he took his jacket.

"I go to my hotel. If you search me, you find me at the Adams House, Gibbs."

Tony's dad walked over to the elevator. He didn't need a confirmation from the old agent. He knew Gibbs would explain everything to him when the time was right. Now, there was only Penelope Langston left. The agents turned towards her.

"I'll stay. Besides I would love to see Dr. Mallard again."

"An agent will bring you downstairs," Gibbs sighed.

"Don't bother. I'm not that old, Agent Gibbs. I still remember the way to your autopsy."

Gibbs opened his mouth to protest, but McGee's grandmother didn't wait for anyone. Instead, she turned around and left the office. Other than the men before her, she used the second elevator, which would bring her to Ducky.

"Shall I…?" asked Brody, and Gibbs nodded.

"Go with her. Careful she isn't… well, she says what she thinks."

"That's not a problem."

The remaining men shook her heads in disbelief.

"This is Agent McGee's grandmother?" asked Sam, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but when I met him, he didn't seem so… aggressive."

At those words, Gibbs needed to smile. No, McGee was nothing like his grandmother. The MIT alumnus was calm and nice. But the team leader knew that McGee loved his grandmother very much, no matter how strange she was.

Suddenly, a loud whistle rang through the office, and Eric appeared on the stairs.

"Hey, guys. We have a new message."

* * *

"Congratulations, Agent Gibbs. You're faster than I thought you would be."

"Is this the reason why you take your time to call me back?"

"I don't want our game to be over yet. We need more time, don't you think?"

"Sure, why don't screw this countdown and give me more time?"

"Oh, I would love to, but I'm afraid that if I do this your last team member wouldn't survive it. See, when the countdown is down to zero, he or she will be dead. Do you want me to ignore it?"

"No," Gibbs growled angry "Tell me about the next riddle. Where do I have to go?"

The kidnapper sighed, then the teams heard the sound of paper.

"Let's see. Drive to Rosegarden Flowers. Buy a Sophia bouquet. The owner will give you the next address with a new sort of flowers. Find all three flowers, solve the riddles, then write me the answer. As usual."

Gibbs wrote the name of the shop and the bouquet on his block.

"Are you sure you don't want to end this now? All you have to do is to release my team. I will speak to the judge…"

"I don't care if I go to jail. And no, Agent Gibbs. I don't want to end our game. If I end it earlier, then only because I activate the bombs and I highly doubt that you wish that."

 **Crossword Solution 2**

 **/a/r8zaGx7**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you for your nice reviews :D**

 **You will get the next chapter on Saturday next week because I'm on vacation for the next few days.**

 **Enjoy the chapter**

 **I don't own anything. The characters belong to CBS.**

Chapter 11

This time, Callen drove with Gibbs to the flower store. The experienced agent waited in the car and observed the street, but he saw nothing dangerous. Gibbs needed ten minutes before he returned to the car and he was angry by the look on his face. He threw the flowers in the back and handed Callen the envelope.

"What took you so long? Did you plan on buying the whole store?"

"It seems as if the bastard wants to know how much I'm willing to pay for my team."

"What makes you think that?"

"This bouquet cost me $75."

"Ouch."

"Yes, well, I have what I need. What's the new address?"

"Gina's Flower store. This time he wants a bunch of Anemonies New York."

"Let's go."

* * *

The second flower store was a problem. It was a small store so, they closed at noon for a few hours. Gibbs knocked as loud as he could, but he was losing his temper. He would shoot his way free if there wouldn't come… Suddenly, an annoyed old man appeared on the other side of the glass.

"We are on our lunch break. Come back in two hours."

Sighing, Gibbs pulled out his badge. Why did he have to argue with this guy? He had no time for this nonsense.

"I'm a federal agent. Open the door."

"Sure, as if this proves anything. Everybody can buy such a thing on eBay or Amazon."

"What's eBay? No wait, forget it. I don't care. Just open the door and let me in."

"No."

"I'm a federal agent with a badge and…"

"A fake badge."

Gibbs took a deep breath. He was very close to pull out his gun and to take a shot at this window. Did the kidnapper know that this guy was so hard to convince? Or was he working with the bastard?

"This. Isn't. A. Fake. Badge."

"Man, have you looked at it? Just once? The guy, who made this thing, wrote CSI wrong."

"I'm not a CSI. I'm Special Agent Gibbs from NCIS."

"What's NCIS?"

"Naval Criminal Investigative Service. And you, Sir, are interfering with an important investigation."

"Naval? You mean like ships and that stuff?"

"Yes, now, would you please open the door?"

"I'm not sure. What if you're a thief and you just want to steal my money?"

"If I'd want to steal your money I would have shot you with my gun minutes ago."

Gibbs pulled back his jacket to show the guy how serious he was. At least this time, the old man seemed as if he was convinced.

"Fine, give a minute."

"I already gave you more than just a minute," Gibbs mumbled angry, while he put away his badge.

The old man returned and only seconds later, the door opened.

"So, what can I do for you, Special Agent Grumpy?"

"I need a bunch of Anemonies New York."

"You pulled me out of my lunch break for flowers?! I thought you're investigating a big case, and my store is the only lead you have."

"I have to disappoint you."

"Hell, man, come back in two hours."

"I need those flowers and the damn envelope a man gave you. Or you just hand over the envelope, and I'm gone."

"Oh, you mean you're this guy called 'Gibbs'?"

"Yes, I told you my name only seconds ago."

"I wasn't listening. I was concentrated on your badge. However, it wasn't a man, who gave me the envelope. It was a young boy."

The customer walked to his register.

' _So, he used a kid again,'_ Gibbs thought _, 'He really knows how to stay out of sight.'_

"Alright, give me the envelope, then I'm gone."

"What about the Anemonies?"

"What about them?"

"The boy said you would buy two bunches."

"2?! Is this some kind of joke?"

"Well, it seems as if you don't really need this," the old man said, while he intended to put the brown letter in his pocket.

"Wait, I take the stupid flowers," Gibbs answered with gritted teeth.

This was ridiculous. The team leader paid the overpriced flowers, then he got the letter from the happy customer, who now wore a big smile on his face.

"Thank you for your visit. Please visit us again."

"I don't think so."

Gibbs stormed out of the store and back to his car and the still waiting LA-agent. He shrugged when Gibbs threw the roses on the back seats.

"Not a fan of flowers?"

"Don't!"

"Alright, you don't want to talk about it, but I can tell you that…"

"I said don't!"

"Fine. Address?"

Gibbs handed over the envelope without another word and Callen pulled out the card.

"Our last flower store is the Blue Lily."

* * *

At 3 pm, the two agents returned to the Navy Yard. Gibbs was still in a bad mood, so Callen gave him the envelopes and offered to take the three bouquets. The older agent growled as an answer, which was exactly what Callen expected.

In the squad room, Sam tried his best not to laugh when he saw his partner with the flowers. Pride and the other boys watched with big eyes at the amount. Kensi and Brody were the only ones, who rushed to the side of the poor LA-agent and helped him with his load.

"Did you buy the whole flower stores?" asked Pride, and this time Sam couldn't hide his laugh.

"Very funny," Callen said and gave his partner the bouquet.

"Well, you look good with them, G. Maybe I buy a bunch for you too when we are back in LA."

"Don't you dare. If you do this, then I'll ask for a new partner."

"Enough with this nonsense. Who wants to solve the riddles?" Gibbs interrupted the two guys and held up the envelopes.

"I'll do it," Chris answered.

Kensi and Brody put the flowers on Bishop's desk, which disappeared under the number of flowers. Pride noticed the bad mood of his brother immediately.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Gibbs, you look as if you want to shoot someone. I don't call that nothing."

"He had a few problems with the owner of the second flower store."

"I need a coffee. Solve the riddle and send the bastard the answer. I'm back in ten minutes."

Cards:

 **1.**

150 + 37 x 3 : 6 – 41 x 7 + 98 – 60,5 : 5 + 76 x 9 – 45 : 6 + 83 x 2 – 28 + 54 : 8 – 22 x 6 + 85 x 2 – 126 : 4 + 12 – 50 : 5 : 6 – 2

 **2.**

36 + 52 x 7 – 21 : 5 + 94 x 3 : 9 – 25 x 9 – 19 + 63 : 2 x 12 + 56 – 23 : 3 – 96 + 7 + 3 – 46 : 5 + 23 x 2 : 6 + 3,5 : 7

 **3.**

5 x 42 + 598 : 8 – 42,5 x 12 + 248 : 5 + 376 x 2 – 321 : 4 + 745,75 – 60,5 : 12 x 20 + 642 – 805 : 6 + 195,5 – 52 : 2 + 381 – 268 : 6 + 11 : 10 : 3

" _Daddy? Daddy."_

 _Slowly, Gibbs opened his eyes. He felt a small hand on his arm and after a few seconds, he recognized little Abby, who stood beside the couch with her stuffed bat in her hands._

" _Abby? What are you doing here?"_

" _I can't sleep."_

 _At this moment, he saw a bright light outside followed by a loud crash. A small scream escaped Abby's lips and she pressed her stuffed animal tight against her. Gibbs needed one look to see that a big thunderstorm was outside. In the same moment, he remembered that the grown-up Abby was afraid of them. Quickly, he sat up and pulled the little girl into his arms. Immediately, she put her arms around his neck and squeezed him._

" _It's okay, sweetheart. It's just a thunderstorm. You're completely safe in here."_

" _Dad?"_

 _The team leader turned to his stairs and saw how his two boys were standing there. Only for a second, the thought that those three weren't his kids came to his mind, then it was gone, and he concentrated on the little children again._

" _Come here."_

 _They didn't need a second invitation. Tony came to his left side and McGee to his right._

" _Are you afraid too?"_

" _Yes."_

" _I'm not afraid. Only babies are afraid of thunder," Tony said._

" _I'm not a baby," McGee protested._

 _Gibbs smiled and put one of his arms around the little boy._

" _Don't worry, Tim. It is okay to be afraid."_

" _Daddy! Put your arm back around me."_

" _Abs, your brothers need me too. You have my other arm."_

" _But I'm the youngest!"_

" _Still, your brothers need me, so, I can't ignore them. Do you understand this?"_

" _Yes, daddy," Abby whispered._

 _Again, a loud thunder was heard, and Gibbs felt how the three children pressed themselves tighter against him._

" _Daddy, make the thunder go away."_

" _I can't, sweetheart."_

" _But you can do everything. You're my daddy."_

 _Tony sighed beside Gibbs. He was the oldest, so, he knew that his dad couldn't change the weather._

" _Don't be stupid, Abby. Dad is good, but he is not god. He can't make the thunderstorm go away."_

" _Of course, he can. Daddy is like Superman."_

" _No, he isn't. Jeez, why do I have to stick with such…"_

" _Tony! Watch your mouth."_

" _But dad, she…"_

" _Your sister is young. You were just like her when you were the same age."_

" _I was not! Firstly, she is a girl, and I'm not, and secondly, I never thought that you could change the weather!"_

 _Gibbs felt that his youngest wanted to protest, so, he cut her off._

" _Listen, what do you think about my suggestion? We go upstairs to my bed. It is way more comfortable than the couch here."_

" _Will you stay with us?" Abby asked quietly._

" _Of course, Abs. My bed is big enough for the four of us."_

" _I'm in," McGee answered._

 _Tony didn't say anything, but Gibbs felt how he nodded._

" _Alright, then let's go."_

 _Immediately, the two boys stood up and made their way to the first floor. Abby, on the other hand, squeezed Gibbs tighter to show him that she wouldn't let go, but the ex-marine hadn't thought that she would do. He stood up with the little girl in his arms and walked to his front door. He didn't want to leave it open when he was sleeping upstairs. As long as he slept on his couch it wasn't a problem because then he was able to hear an intruder. Although, with this big thunderstorm outside it was hard to distinguish if it was only the storm or a real intruder. However, he was on the safe side when he would lock the door._

" _Why do you lock the door, daddy?"_

 _Abby looked at him with questioning eyes. All of his kids knew that he never locked the front door. It was always open for them to come inside. Still, they knew that they were safe. Softly, Gibbs stroke her cheek._

" _Because daddy has a bad feeling and he is gonna keep you safe. No one will hurt you or your brothers."_

 _Gibbs gave her a soft kiss on her forehead and again, she put her arms around his neck. Then he walked upstairs with his baby girl in his arms. The tired team leader found his boys in his bedroom. Both were already lying under the blanket, but Gibbs saw that they were still awake. He put his youngest on the blanket just when another lighting appeared outside. Abby screamed when she heard the loud thunder and ran back to him. Desperately, she took hold of his shirt, which made him laugh even also he knew that he shouldn't. Again, he pulled her up but this time, he placed her between her brothers. Immediately, she snuggled closer to Tony, who put his arm around her. Those were his kids. They could fight over and over again, but when someone of them needed help, they were there for each other. Carefully, the team leader crawled over his youngest son to lay between Abby and McGee. Tony was a big boy, so, he wouldn't need the physical contact. Gibbs noticed how the boy pushed his little sister against their dad before he followed, so, he would be close to her. Again, a loud thunder was heard, but this time, no one screamed. It showed Gibbs that all three had been really tired. They only had needed him to feel completely safe. Yawning Gibbs closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep._

* * *

 _Soft cries reached Gibbs' ear and he wondered where they came from. It took him a while to open his tired eyes. A look at the window showed him that it was still in the middle of the night. But why did he have this strange feeling that something was wrong?_

" _Daddy."_

 _Immediately, Gibbs knew what was wrong. The bed was empty! His children were gone! The scared father sat up and it only took him seconds, to find his kids. Tony and McGee hang lifelessly over the shoulders of a masked man, who stood in the door to Gibbs' bedroom. And in his arms, he held a crying Abby!_

" _Abby."_

" _Daddy, help me. Please help me."_

" _Put my children down."_

" _How does this feel, Agent Gibbs? How does it feel to lose the one thing that matters the most? The one thing you truly care about?"_

" _If you hurt them I'll…"_

" _Play by my rules and you get them back. Very simple, Agent Gibbs."_

" _You…"_

 _Quickly, Gibbs stood up and ran to his children. Sadly, his nightmare didn't make it easy, because the masked man took a step back, so, that he was standing outside of the bedroom now._

" _Goodbye, Agent Gibbs."_

 _The door closed in front of the poor father, and all sounds disappeared. He couldn't even hear Abby's cries anymore. Gibbs tried to open the door again, but it was impossible. The door didn't move an inch. It felt as if someone put glue on the lock, which made it impossible to open._

" _Abby! Tony! Tim! Can you hear me? Answer me! Abby! Tony!..."_

* * *

"Gibbs, wake up! Come on, brother. You need to wake up."

"Tim!"

Gibbs opened his eyes and because he was still caught in the nightmare, he didn't recognize his friend, so, he accidentally punched him in the face.

"Hell, Gibbs! I didn't kidnap your team! Save your punches for the real kidnapper!"

The exhausted team leader saw how his brother held his hurting cheek and he felt guilty. Pride only wanted to help, and he thanked him with a punch to the face. Actually, he should thank the NOLA-team leader for waking him up from his horrible nightmare. Although, not all of it had been bad. At first, it had felt nice, and he would gladly go back there but this time, he wouldn't allow the bastard to take away his children.

"How long was I gone?" Gibbs murmured, while he rubbed his face.

"A few hours. I thought you could use the sleep, and the bastard didn't call, so, I decided not to wake you. But suddenly, you started screaming, and I didn't want you to hurt yourself. Instead, I gave you the opportunity to hurt me."

"He didn't call?"

"Sorry, brother."

"That's not exactly true, Agent Pride."

All heads turned to the stairs. Eric and Nell stood there, side by side.

"He waits for you in MTAC," Nell said and pointed upstairs.

Gibbs waited until everyone was out of the side, then he ordered Eric to take the call. As soon as he saw the dark silhouette, he felt how his anger rose. What would he do to beat this guy up? Afterward, he'd need an ambulance, but Gibbs wouldn't be the one, who would call one.

"Good evening, Agent Gibbs. How do you feel? Are you excited? It seems like you're able to rescue another team member tonight and you still have 65 hours left."

"Who is it?"

"Oh no, I won't ruin the surprise. You will see when you have found the solution to the last riddle. But before I tell you about the third riddle I have something for you. I thought you might want to hear this."

The kidnapper pulled out a small recording device and pressed play. A loud scream was heard, and Gibbs flinched automatically. He needed a few seconds to notice that it was a female voice. Could this be his Abby? If this bastard had hurt her, he would….

" _Please, why do you do this?"_

' _It's not Abby. This voice belongs to Bishop.'_

" _What have I done to you that you are doing this?"_

" _Oh, you did nothing."_

" _Then why…?"_

" _It's your boss, who hurt me, and now he needs to suffer."_

" _I don't understand. You hurt me and not him. I'm the one, who suffers."_

" _Believe me, he suffers more, because you are not the only one, who will be my guest. Your colleagues will join you very soon. And tomorrow, I'll inform your boss. Oh, I can't wait to see his face when he hears the news."_

" _Who are you?"_

" _His worst nightmare."_

Again, Bishop's scream filled MTAC, then the kidnapper pushed another button.

"You're a psychopath," Gibbs said through gritted teeth "I'll kill you when…"

"I have more, Agent Gibbs. Do you want to hear it?"

He didn't wait for an answer. Instead, he pushed the play button again. Gibbs wanted to shut his ears, but it would have been useless. This time, Bishop's voice sounded different. As if she was in a big metallic… of course! The kidnapper showed him the recording of the video. Gibbs had only the visual version, but the bastard had the audio files too. And now he was torturing the team leader.

" _Let me out! I'm a federal agent, and you will get to jail for a very long time!"_

The female agent had to hit the container because, for the next seconds, they only heard the sound of metal. Then it stopped, but Bishop's voice had changed.

" _Please! I have a husband, and he is hurt! You have to let me go! Please!"_

"I love it when they beg. Don't you, Agent Gibbs?"

"Are you done? Will you tell me about the next riddle, or do you have more recordings of my team?"

"Oh, I have so much more, but I'll show you them to another time. No, I think the third riddle should be on your desk, already. I'll see you in the morning. Enjoy the car ride, Agent Gibbs."

* * *

/a/ItxYrEa Sudoku 2

 **This riddle is from "Rätselblock Sudoku Nr. 117", riddle on page 64.**

 **Level of difficulty: moderate**


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm sorry that I didn't upload the new chapter on Saturday. A few problems appeared, which I had to take care off. I hope you can forgive me and enjoy the new chapter**

 **Who will Gibbs get back this time?**

 **I don't own anything. The characters belong to CBS.**

Chapter 12

Gibbs couldn't wait for the teams to solve this Sudoku. Instead, he made copies and handed them to the younger agents. They would do their best on their way to the port, while the ex-marine and Callen would drive. Pride was the only one, who hadn't a copy because he still didn't know how this riddle worked. No, his job was to warn Gibbs about the other cars on the streets. It seemed as if Gibbs wanted to break the record in fast driving, but his thoughts were already in Baltimore.

Who was in the next container? Could it be Abby? It had to be her. He didn't know how he should survive another day with the knowledge that she was still out there. Besides, the kidnapper had to have a conscience. He couldn't play this game with a woman as long as he would do with a man, right? On the other hand, this bastard wanted him to suffer and leaving his favorite for the very last riddles would make him really suffer. No, he had to believe that she would be in this container. But why was his gut saying otherwise? Why was his gut certain that he would find one of the boys? And why couldn't he be happier about it? After all, he would free another member of his team tonight, and this was a good thing.

The agents needed half an hour to solve the Sudoku, because of the bad light and Gibbs' way to drive. Yes, Callen had to drive like the older team leader to not lose him on their way to Baltimore and the young agent had to admit that he almost lost Gibbs a few times.

* * *

Impatiently, he walked up and down in front of the car, while Callen talked to Eric and Nell for the number of the new container. Finally, the young agent closed his cell phone.

"We've got the number. It's 3722. The CEO gave us the location."

This time, Gibbs couldn't drive away. He had to wait for Callen to show him the way. After ten minutes, they stopped and got out of the cars. Together they only needed a few seconds to find the container from Russia.

"Alright, this is the plan," Callen explained, "Chris and Deeks open the doors. You guys keep your guns up, in case, there is something inside we don't like. If one of our missing agents is inside, Sam and I will go in and pull he or she out before the bomb goes off. Any questions?"

"Do it," Gibbs ordered.

Chris and Deeks went to the doors, then they pulled them wide open. The light of the flashlights fell on grey walls, a mattress with a blanket and a pillow, and… Anthony DiNozzo Junior. Callen and Sam didn't hesitate one second. Quickly, they went in, grabbed Tony's arms and ran out of the container. The other agents ran away as soon as they saw Tony, while everyone was counting. The first bomb had exploded shortly after they had opened the doors, so, it was likely that this would happen again. And they were right. The container exploded with a loud bang.

"TONY!"

As soon as, he was able to hear again, Gibbs ran to his senior field agent, who was lying on the ground, while Callen called for an ambulance.

"Tony!"

"Hey, boss. That was a pretty firework don't you think?" Tony croaked.

"If you wouldn't have been kidnapped and nearly killed, I would give you a head slap."

"Lucky me. Boss, do you mind if I close my eyes for a second? Because I'm really tired."

"An ambulance is on his way. We'll get you to the hospital."

"Sounds good," the young agent murmured before he closed his eyes.

"Tony. Tony! Stay with me!"

* * *

"Welcome back, Agent Gibbs. Honestly, I didn't think that you would bring me another one of your agents that soon."

"Hello, Doctor Nelson. I hope that I can bring two more agents to you in the next two days."

"Two more? Hell, what do you do to your people?"

"I save them. They were kidnapped, and I only get one per night back. How is the latest one?"

"Not as bad as Agent Bishop. It seems as if Agent DiNozzo is a little bit stronger than the young woman."

"Can I talk to him?"

"Sadly, you can't. His condition is better than the other one, but he is still exhausted and needs his sleep. I recommend that you search for the two missing agents."

"Any news about Agent Bishop?"

"She sleeps a lot and barely eats something. Don't get me wrong, sleeping is a good thing because it means that her body has the possibility to heal. But she needs to eat too. We hope that her husband can help us with it."

"I'm sure he will. Thank you, Doctor Nelson. I'll inform the rest of my team."

"Sure, I expect to see you soon."

Gibbs gave him his hand, then he walked to the LA- and NOLA-team, which waited at the windows. Was it just him or did they look tired and exhausted? Pride was the first one, who turned to him.

"What did the doctor say?"

"DiNozzo is in a better state than Bishop, but he needs to rest. These past days had been hard, and I agree with him. I leave two more agents here to watch over them."

"Deeks and I can stay. We…" Kensi suggested, but the old silver fox interrupted her.

He was thankful for their help. His team would be still in the containers without them. But now it was time for them to take a nap and to rest. They would need their strength for the next days.

"No, thank you, Agent Blye. You already helped me more than enough. No, you all drive back to DC. Eat something, then sleep. The bastard won't call before it is morning. We meet in the office at 0700."

"What about you?" asked Callen.

"I'll stay. I have to talk to my agents, in case if anyone awakes."

"And how do you wanna come back to DC if we take the cars?"

"I pick him up," Pride answered and gave Gibbs a small nod "Try to get some sleep too, brother."

"I'll try. Night."

The team leader from Washington noticed how the two women hesitated, but they soon followed the men outside. Now it was on him to protect his team.

* * *

"Agent Gibbs? Agent Gibbs?"

A gentle hand touched his arm, which woke him immediately. A young nurse smiled at him friendly.

"Good morning, Agent Gibbs. I'm sorry to wake you, but one of your agents is awake, and I thought you would want to know this."

"Oh, ehm… yes, thank you. How long did I… ehm…?"

"Sleep? Honestly, I didn't check on you the whole time, so, I don't know exactly when you fell asleep, but I think it was around 3 am, when I saw you sleeping."

Tired, Gibbs rubbed his eyes. This news was both good and bad. 3 am meant that he didn't sleep very long to miss his drive back to DC, but it also meant that he hadn't got enough sleep. And right now, this was something he could really need. No, there was no time to waste it with luxury such as sleep. He could do this when he was dead.

"Thank you. I think I'll check on my agents now."

"Come to me if you need anything."

The team leader nodded, then he went to the room of his agents. Doctor Nelson had arranged to put both Bishop and DiNozzo in one room. Jake sat in a chair beside Bishop's bed, but he was fully asleep. The other young man in the room was awake and was looking at him.

"Morning, boss."

"Tony, how are you?"

"Great, I always wanted to know how it is to lie inside the hospital of Baltimore. Those beds are just..."

"Do I really have to smack you?"

"You would slap someone, who barely got out of this container alive? Someone, who got kidnapped, beaten up and left for dead?"

"Yeah, I would if it means that you stop joking. Because right now, I don't have the time for that. I have two members of my team, who are still out there."

"Abby and Tim," Tony answered, but this time he was serious.

"Yes, so, can you tell me what happened since I've sent you home that last night?"

"Do you prefer the long or the short version?"

"Short. I need to get back to DC for the next riddle."

This caught the attention of Gibbs' senior field agent. Surprised, he raised his brow and looked at his boss as if he turned crazy.

"Riddle? What…?"

"Never mind. Just tell me your story."

* * *

" _This was good work, guys. We can be proud of ourselves."_

 _McGee raised his eyebrow, Bishop got big eyes, while Abby smiled at the senior field agent._

" _Very good, Tony, but you're not Gibbs."_

" _Come on, this was close to the bossman."_

" _Maybe a little, but you still have to practice."_

" _A lot," the silver fox's voice appeared behind Tony._

 _In the next second a hand made contact with the back of his head._

" _Ow! What was that for?"_

" _For joking around. Go home. It's late and the case is closed."_

 _Tony threw his hands up in joy, then he grabbed his bag. Gibbs walked to his desk to get his jacket. Abby, who leaned against his desk turned around to him._

" _I'll stay. I still have work to do."_

" _Abs, it's late. Leave the work for tomorrow."_

" _Gibbs, I can't. I already got it days ago, and the agents will shoot me if I don't give them some answers in the next few days."_

 _The ex-marine put on his jacket, then he stopped in front of his favorite lab rat. She was almost as tall as him with her plateau shoes, but just almost._

" _First, they have to go through me."_

" _You're sweet, Gibbs, but it doesn't change anything. I have to do it."_

 _The team leader gave her his famous 'look', but it didn't have the same affection as it had on the rest of the team. Abby and Ducky were the only ones, who weren't impressed or scared of the bossman. Finally, Gibbs gave up sighing._

" _Fine, just promise me that you won't stay the whole night."_

" _I promise that I won't stay the whole night, Sir," Abby repeated and saluted of course, with the wrong hand._

" _Wrong hand, Abs, and don't call me 'Sir'."_

" _Sorry, Ma'am."_

 _He shook his head slightly, then he pulled her into a hug and gave her a soft kiss on her temple._

" _If I find out that you stayed, we two will have a long talk. Do you hear me?"_

 _Abby's answer was muffled from Gibbs' shirt, so, the three agents, who were eavesdropping, couldn't hear anything. This was the time when Gibbs noticed that his team was watching them._

" _Do you guys have a question, or why are you still here?"_

 _Quickly, all three agents went to the elevator._

* * *

 _Sighing Tony sank on his couch and turned on his TV. Finally, home. Again, this had been a long and exhausting week, and he was really tired. He couldn't even concentrate on the movie. Soon, he closed his eyes and sleep took over._

 _It felt like seconds that he had been sleeping when a loud bang woke him. He reached for his gun, but he was too slow. A man with a mask punched him right in the face, which caused the gun to land on the floor. Tony saw the next punch, but this time he reacted and blocked the attack. The senior field agent landed one punch at his attacker before he got hit by a second man. Hell, how many of them got inside of his apartment? And where was his gun? Well, he could beat them with his bare hands if he had to. Two against one wasn't fair but not a problem for a well-trained special agent. Just when he brought the second man to the floor, someone hit him with a baseball bat on the head. Groaning the movie-expert fell next to his couch._

" _What is wrong with you two? Are you too weak to beat one man?", someone asked behind him._

" _And what about you? You need a baseball bat to knock him out."_

" _Yeah, if I were you, I wouldn't hit him with that again. The guy said he wants him alive."_

 _Tony wanted to ask about who they were talking, but he had problems to stay awake. His head was hurting pretty much. Carefully, he tried to stand up, only to be sent to sleep by the third man._

* * *

"So, you were kidnapped by three men? Could you see their faces?"

"No, they always wore masks."

Slowly, Gibbs walked up and down, while he thought about this news. It seemed as if every one of his team was kidnapped by a different group of men, who were hired by one person. And Gibbs was pretty sure that this was his mysterious shadow man, who left him riddles.

"What about this 'guy'? Have you ever seen his face?"

"No, he wore a black mask like those bastards. And there was nothing special about him either. I checked him for tattoos or scars, but nothing."

"Damn it!"

"Although… I don't know."

"What? Spit it out, Tony! Maybe this information helps me to find him, and when I find him, I can save Abby and McGee."

"I kind of recognized his voice, but I can't tell where I heard it before. It wasn't recently, but I definitely knew it."

Gibbs looked as if he was ready to throw something out of the window. Luckily, someone knocked before this could happen. A second later, Pride shoved his head through the door.

"Gibbs?"

"In here."

"Oh good, they're awa… alright, half of them are awake. Good morning, DiNozzo."

"Morning, Pride. So, you guys flew over to take our jobs?"

"Well, we and the team from LA. Gibbs called the best agents he could get. All just to find you."

"Alright, that's enough. Tony, I'll leave agents outside, who will protect you two, but in case they can't stop whoever wants to get you…"

The team leader pulled out two guns from under his jacket and placed them under Tony's pillow.

"…then give Bishop a gun and shoot. Do you hear me?"

"Understood. What are you gonna do now?"

"I have to go back to DC for the next riddle."

"You still haven't told me about those riddles."

"I will, I promise. But right now, I don't have time for this. Try to sleep and listen to what the doctor says."

"What? Boss, you can't…"

"I'll be back soon. Hopefully, with another member of my team."

Tony opened his mouth to protest, but Gibbs and Pride were already at the door. Shocked, he watched how it closed behind them.

* * *

"Isn't this a wonderful morning, Agent Gibbs? You have two agents back, which means you've got the half of your team. But I suppose that you want the rest too."

"Good guess. Where is the new riddle?"

Again, they stood in MTAC, and Gibbs was tired. This case was eating his nerves, but more important, he was tired of this stupid game. Why couldn't this guy give up and give back his team? It had been too many days since he had his little girl in his arms. He couldn't even remember when it had been the last time, he hadn't seen and hugged her for such a long time period. She was always there and even when she wasn't, he knew that he could always call her, and she would answer it.

"Patience, Agent Gibbs. You need to learn to be calmer."

"I will try that as soon as I have my whole team back. Now give me the next riddle."

"Fine, it's on your desk. As always. Have fun."

Crossword Quiz 3

/a/NQUrT8s

It seemed as if they finally got some routine with those riddles. The younger agents did their best, while the old ones stayed out of it. Gibbs stood in front of the screen and looked at his remaining agents. They didn't look very well, but they didn't give up. They had examined every inch of these damn container walls, but they had found nothing. He needed to find his family!

"I've got it! It's Spain," Chris yelled.

Gibbs turned to the other ones for confirmation. The first one, who was also done with the riddle was Sam, and this was all Gibbs needed.

"Send him our answer. He will take his time anyway."

Deeks stood up, while his partner typed the message.

"What do you guys think about breakfast? This guy will need a few hours until he calls back, and I'm hungry. Anyone else?"

"I could use something too," Brody admitted.

"Alright, write it down. Kens and I, we will go and get it."

"What? Who said that I'm coming with you? It was your idea."

"And how am I supposed to carry all this stuff?"

"That's not my problem. You made the suggestion, so, you have to find a solution."

"But I already did. You help me."

"I speak of another solution, Deeks."

"I call Nell and ask her if she and Eric want something," Callen offered to escape the situation and took his phone.

"I call Sebastian," Chris said and followed Callen's example.

"Fine, Sam would you…"

"Don't even think about it. I won't help you."

"Really? I offer you to get breakfast, but no one is actually willing to help me?"

"It was your idea, Deeks. It sounded as if YOU would go, and not that you ask Kensi or me for help."

"And I will go I just…"

"Good, here is the list."

Of course, Callen stood behind his partner and continued the little game with Deeks. The poor detective watched his friends with his best puppy dog eyes until Kensi gave up.

"Fine, let's go, Deeks. I'm hungry, and this takes too long."

They made it to the elevator when suddenly Nell appeared on the stairs.

"We got the next riddle."

* * *

Crossword 3 - Solution

/a/n8R6rne


	13. Chapter 13

**I know I'm behind my schedule and I'm really sorry about it. Hopefully, the next week will be less stressful.**

 **Enjoy the new chapter :D  
**

 **I don't own anything. The characters belong to CBS.**

Chapter 13

"What book do I search again?"

"Twilight from Stephenie Meyer," Pride answered, "You know the book with the shinning vampires."

"Vampires?"

"Yes, Laurel loved the books, so, I had no choice but to know them too."

Gibbs looked as if his brother had lost his mind. How could anyone buy a book about vampires? They didn't even exist.

"Don't look at me like that. Actually, I'm surprised that Abby didn't tell you to read them too."

"She knows better than to convince me to read such nonsense."

"Fine, I suggest you go and get our next riddle, so, we can move on."

Cursing Gibbs got out of the car and walked to the small bookstore. It was almost empty, so, there shouldn't be a big problem to find this damn book, right? The only problem was that Gibbs had no idea where this title could be. In which genre would you put vampires?

"May I help you?"

A young friendly woman appeared in front of the team leader with a big smile on her face. Obviously, she was used to helping people, who had no clue to find the right book.

"Ehm… yes. I'm looking for a book."

"Yeah, I figured this by myself," she laughed, "Do you know the author or the title?"

"The title is `Twilight´, and the author… ehm, I think it was a woman."

"Stephenie Meyer."

"That sounds familiar."

"Over here. You search a gift for your granddaughter?"

"My… yes, kind of."

"How old is she?"

"My… granddaughter… she is… seven years old."

"Seven?" the customer asked skeptically, "I think you should think about another gift. This book is for teenagers and not for a young girl. How about…?"

"You're absolutely right. This was my mistake. The book is for my second granddaughter. She is… twelve."

"You have a second one?"

The young woman didn't look convinced. Gibbs couldn't waste any more time with a discussion about fake granddaughters.

"It's just… I never heard anything about those books in my life. I mean… vampires? They don't even exist."

Relieved he watched how the customer tried to hide her laughter.

"I'm sorry for my suspicion. You really don't look like someone, who reads fantasy."

"Not a problem. You just tried to help an unaware man with a present."

Smiling the woman handed Gibbs the book.

"Have a nice day."

"You too."

At the register, the special agent read the description on the back:

 _`About three things I was absolutely positive._

 _First, Edward was a vampire._

 _Second, there was a part of him – and I didn't know how dominant that part might be – that thirsted for my blood._

 _And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him._

 _When Isabella Swan moves to the gloomy town of Forks and meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret._

 _What Bella doesn't realize is that the closer she gets to him, the more she is putting herself and those around her at risk. And it might be too late to turn back…´_

He shook his head in disbelief. How could someone read such a nonsense?

"Sir?"

The young customer looked at him questioning. The people in front of him were gone, and he was the next in line.

"Anything else?"

"No."

"10$ "

Gibbs paid the price, then he remembered the riddle.

"Excuse me, is it possible that you have an envelope for me? My name should be on it."

"An envelope? I'm sorry, Sir, but I don't know anything about it."

"Could you check? It's important."

The woman wasn't happy about it, but she did him the favor.

"I'm sorry, but there is no envelope here."

"Thank you."

Surprised, Gibbs took the book and walked outside, where he stopped. Did the kidnapper lie to him? But why should he start with it now? What changed?

"Sir? Excuse me, Sir?"

The young customer, who had helped him with finding the book, appeared in the door.

"I'm sorry, but is your name 'Gibbs'?"

"Yes. How do you know my name?"

"A boy gave me this letter this morning. My colleague wasn't here this early, so, I couldn't tell her about it."

"A boy gave you this?"

"Yes, he said you would come to our store and buy the book `Twilight´. Then we should give this to you. Is this a game? I thought you buy the book for your granddaughter?"

"Don't worry, its fine. Thank you for your help."

Relieved Gibbs took the envelope and returned to his car and the waiting Pride.

"There you are. What took you so long?"

"I had a small problem with the customers. Tell me the next address."

* * *

"I need someone, who can give me those three numbers," said Gibbs and waved with the three envelopes.

"I'll bring them to Eric and Nell," Kensi answered.

Gibbs handed over the letters, then he walked to the second elevator, while Kensi ran upstairs to MTAC.

"Gibbs? Where are you going?" asked Callen.

"I'm in autopsy. Call me when there is something new."

* * *

Cards:

 **1.**

7 x 28 : 4 + 247 – 16 x 3 : 5 + 312 x 2 : 6 + 84 x 9 – 159 + 24 : 3 – 182 + 34 : 2 – 46 x 4 – 132 : 8 + 159 – 31,25 x 3 + 11 : 8 – 47 + 14 : 4 – 10

 **2.**

243 – 14 : 4 x 6 + 67 – 17,5 x 2 – 59 : 4 + 95,25 x 3 – 75 : 9 + 156 x 4 – 48 : 6 + 33,5 x 2 – 10 : 4 x 8 – 287 + 80 : 5 + 17 : 6 – 14

 **3.**

4 x 30 + 287 x 3 – 195 : 4 + 37 x 4 – 67 : 3 + 248 – 74 : 6 + 279 – 15,5 x 2 + 59 – 136 x 3 – 572 : 2 + 70 – 354 x 4 + 48 : 8 – 73,25 : 11 + 5 : 4

* * *

Nervous he played with his fingers, while he waited for the elevator to reach their lowest level. He really should start getting some sleep and drinking less coffee. But this was easier said than done. As soon as he closed his eyes, these damn nightmares returned, and he couldn't see them anymore. He didn't want to feel the loss of his family again.

The elevator opened, and he entered autopsy.

"Palmer, get out!"

The team leader knew that he wasn't in the position to command the autopsy gremlin. After all, Palmer was Ducky's assistant, but right now, he needed some time alone with his good friend. Luckily for him, the young father asked no stupid questions and left the two older gentlemen alone.

"Is there a reason that you throw out my assistant, Jethro?"

"I need to talk to you."

"In this case, I'm all yours. How can I help you?"

"I need to sleep."

"I can see that. But when you already know the problem, why do you come to me?"

"I have dreams. Nightmares."

"About the team?"

Carefully, Ducky walked over to his old friend. He knew how hard it was for him to speak about himself and his feelings, and he appreciated it that he came on his own.

"Yes."

"Well, tell me about those dreams. Maybe I can help."

"They are… strange. I know Abby always says that we are a family, and they all mean the world to me, but… in my nightmares they are… little."

"And when you say 'little', you mean…?"

"Abby is four, and Tony and McGee are somewhere between five and seven. At least, that's what I'd suggest."

"What about Bishop?"

"This is one of the strangest parts. Unlike the others, she remains an adult. It looks to me as if she keeps an eye on them. Why isn't she a kid, too?"

"Actually, I expected this, Jethro. You see our beloved Eleanor as a part of our family, but you haven't decided yet if she fits in the role of a child of yours. The other three are your children for so many years now, and Bishop is still new. It's alright not to feel the same yet."

Gibbs had to admit that the words of his friend made sense. He knew Abby, Tony, and McGee for so long, he would always see them as his' kids. Bishop couldn't fit in yet. She would need a few years to earn her role in their family.

"But I assume that this is not everything about those dreams? There must be a reason that you call them nightmares."

"Each one of them is different than the others. In my first dream, I was in the office. The second and third happened at my house. And they all end in the same way. I lose my children."

"What happens?"

"In my first dream, I have a louder discussion with Pride and Callen, because deep down I know that Abby, Tony, and McGee are not really my children. Suddenly, the squad room turns dark and cold until four masked men appear, who knock out Bishop, Callen, and Pride and take the kids with them."

"And what do you do?"

"I'm trying to get to Abby, who is in Pride's arms, but I can barely move. It is as if my feet are glued to the floor."

"How ends your second dream?"

"I lose them again. We are at my house, and they watch TV. I want to make dinner when the melody of the ice cream car is heard from outside. Before I can stop them, the three kids run outside to get themselves ice cream, but there is only the shadow man inside the car. He pulls them into the car and races away."

"So, this time it was only one person?"

"Yes."

"Did you have this dream before or after you found out that one person planned the kidnapping?"

"Who cares?"

"Jethro, please."

Gibbs sighed. Why was it important when he had the nightmares? The point was that he wasn't sleeping anymore.

"I believe it was after the news. What is this telling you?" he asked sarcastically.

"I'll tell you later. At first, I want to know everything about the third nightmare."

"I am at my house again. It is night and a thunderstorm outside. The kids wake me because they are scared. So, I take them upstairs, and we fall asleep in my bed. When I wake up they are gone. Instead, I see them with a masked man, who takes them away from me."

"It seems as if you remember in your dreams, who was responsible for taking the kids. At first, we found out that it took four men to kidnap Bishop and Abby, so, there are four men in the squad room. But as soon as you found out that it is only one man, who is after you, you reduce the number of attackers to one. When did you have the last dream?"

"Yesterday."

"Alright, so, it is possible that you will have a fourth nightmare."

"No! I don't want any more nightmares! I still have two members of my team out there and I'm running out of time."

"What do you wanna do? Refuse to sleep?"

"If I have to. I'm close to finding either Abby or McGee. After that, I only have to solve three more riddles, and then this is all over. Then I'll find this bastard and shoot him."

"I don't think that this is a good idea. I mean the shooting part and the refusing to sleep part."

"Well, I believe it will help me. Thanks for the talk, Duck."

"Jethro, wait! You…!"

But Gibbs wasn't listening anymore. In fact, he had already left autopsy.

* * *

"So, you two pulled me out? That was really nice of you. But what on earth have you done with my desk?"

"Tony, they saved us and came over to DC just because of us. Why can't you just say 'thank you'?"

Gibbs felt the anger rise in him. His hand tingled badly. He wanted to give his two agents a head slap, which they would still feel in days. Sadly he knew that this wasn't a good idea in their current situation. At least, there was no problem to yell at them.

"DiNozzo! Bishop! Hell, what are you doing here?! You're supposed to be in the hospital! And I don't recall seeing a nurse around here!"

"We want to help, but we can't do this if we…"

"I don't need your help! I got two teams, who already helped me in finding you!" interrupted Gibbs the female agent.

"Boss, they are my siblings. I can't stay in the hospital, while they are dying."

"They will not die!"

"Then let us help!"

For a second, it looked as if Gibbs would strangle DiNozzo, but before he could open his mouth to protest or to use his hands against the man, Nell appeared on the stairs.

"Agent Gibbs? He is calling again."

The ex-marine ran upstairs without thinking twice. DiNozzo and Bishop watched the agents confused.

"Who calls him?" asked Tony.

"Come with us and see it with your own eyes," Callen answered.

* * *

" _Let me go! You'll regret this! You're dead when I get out of here!"_

Tony gritted his teeth, while he waited with the other agents in the dark. Gibbs was pacing up and down in front of the big screen, and the super special agent saw that his boss wasn't doing very well. But he couldn't say if it was because of Tony's audio recording or because Abby was still missing.

" _Where am I? Where are my friends? I swear I will kill you if you've hurt them! I will…!"_

"Where is my third riddle?", Gibbs interrupted the recording.

The shadow man sighed, but he stopped Tony's threatening voice.

"Agent Gibbs. I thought you know how this works by now. You'll get an envelope, so, you can hopefully find another member of your team."

Immediately, Gibbs turned around. They were running out of time, and he didn't want to listen to Tony's recording anymore.

"Agent Gibbs… Agent Gibbs!"

"I will find my team and then I'll find you!"

"You better hurry. She is running out of air."

Gibbs stopped when he heard how Tony gasped for air. He knew what the bastard was doing, and of course, he knew who he was talking about. Only one woman was missing. His beloved surrogate daughter.

Slowly, the old agent faced the screen again. Instead of the shadow man, he saw his little girl. She was lying on her blanket in the stupid metal container and she wasn't moving. It took Gibbs a few seconds before he saw that she was still breathing. She was saving air. At least, he hoped that this was what she was doing.

"Tick tack, Agent Gibbs. Tick tack."

* * *

Sudoku 3

/a/zesZmvG

 **This riddle is from "Rätselblock Sudoku Nr. 117", riddle on page 65.**

 **Level of difficulty: moderate**


	14. Chapter 14

**Slowly, we are coming to an end with this story. But don't worry, you still have four chapters left (plus this one).**

 **By the way, one of my readers told me that I mistake horizontal and vertical. So, to those of you, who are solving the riddles on their own, I think it's best when you just use the numbers.**

 **Here is the solution for the third Sudoku:**

 **/a/S4283di**

 **Thank you for the nice reviews. Enjoy the new chapter :)**

 **I don't own anything. The characters belong to CBS.**

Chapter 14

Gibbs didn't move, while Pride drove faster than it was allowed. Of course, his friend had noticed that the poor man wasn't doing so well.

"We will find her, Gibbs. Maybe this time, we have more luck."

"It won't be her."

"You don't know that. Maybe…"

"It won't be her, Pride. He showed me how much she suffers in this container. I would be calmer when I would have her back and he knows that. Abby will be the last one we will be able to save."

"He is right," Brody agreed, "Miss Sciuto will be in the last container. But we still have time. If he sticks to his pattern, then we'll find her before he suffocates."

She and Chris were working on the new Sudoku, which they found on Gibbs' desk after the horrible video conference. Brody couldn't wait until they would find the last agent and they would go after the bastard, who thought he could play with NCIS. The agents DiNozzo and Bishop had stayed at the Navy Yard, although they'd tried to protest against the order. But Gibbs had convinced his agents finally. They were too weak to come on a rescue mission.

* * *

The CEO of the port waited for the new number. He was still furious that someone was using his port to hide federal agents and he couldn't do anything except to wait for the next night to find someone else. Finally, the cars from NCIS arrived, and one of the agents – he believed his name was Callen – ran to him immediately.

"It's 3641."

"Joe, the new container number is 3641. Give me a location," he yelled in his walkie-talkie.

They got back into their cars and followed the CEO to the right spot. Sadly, this time the kidnapper chose a container, which was surrounded by others. So, Sam and Callen wouldn't have much space to run away with the poor agent inside. Gibbs and Pride watched how the younger agents got into position. Kensi and Deeks, and Brody and Lasalle would pull the doors open, while Callen and Sam would run inside.

"Alright, remember, guys. You pull the doors open as wide as you can and then you ran away. Don't look back, don't stop, just run. This time, we don't have much space to work, so, we can't risk any problems. Understood?"

"Yes."

"On three. One… two… three!"

As soon as there was a hole for the agents to go in, they didn't hesitate. Pride observed Gibbs, who wasn't showing any signs that he was nervous.

"What do you think?"

"It's not her, Pride. It's McGee."

"Why can't you…"

"It's McGee," Gibbs said and nodded towards the container.

All agents were running, and Callen and Sam had Gibbs' third missing agent between them. The old man covered their ears when the container exploded. The explosion was stronger than the last ones, so, it affected the other metal boxes around it to fall.

"RUN!" yelled Pride as soon as he saw that the young agents weren't safe.

They had parked the cars at a safe distance, and the agents stopped there to look at the mess around them. The CEO turned to Pride angrily.

"Find that bastard and make him pay. No one uses my port without my agreement and destroys him like that."

"We do our best, Mr. Jackson. Sam, how is McGee?"

"He is unconscious, but he lives. We should bring him to the hospital."

"Let's roll."

* * *

Frustrated Gibbs waited in the waiting room for updates on McGee's status. He was too exhausted to start a fight with the nurses. Although they some of them already knew him by now they stuck with their 'just family members get information's'-concept. He decided to wait for Doctor Nelson to give him an update, but Pride didn't want to accept their defeat. After almost an hour, he gave up and joined his friend.

"This is the third night that we are bringing someone in, and still they are as stubborn as the first time we arrived. What is their problem?"

"They have their orders."

"Are you defending them?! What is wrong with you?! This is your agent we are talking about!"

"Don't you think that I know this?! But I'm exhausted Pride! My family is missing for seven days! I still haven't found Abby yet and hell, I don't even know if she is still alive! Or if I make it in time! If this guy sticks to his pattern I'll find her tomorrow night! What if she has not enough air to breathe?! What if she dies before we solved all riddles?! What do I do when she dies?!"

Gibbs wasn't someone, who cried in front of others. Not even in front of his closest friends. But the fear for his family and the uncertainty of the outcome called their tribute. He had already lost his first daughter. He wouldn't survive the death of Abby.

"We'll find her, Gibbs," Pride assured him "Abby is strong and she knows how to save her breath."

"This doesn't help her when this guy wants to see her dead. He just has to wait with his riddles. Or he gave me a timeline, which isn't enough to save them all. Or he activates the bomb. There are many possibilities, and I don't like one of them."

"The guys from LA, are already back in the office. We wait until the doctor gives us news about McGee and then we drive back home. You need some sleep before we get the next call."

"I don't even know what sleep is anymore."

"Agent Gibbs?"

The old agents stood up and greeted the doctor. Finally, someone, who would give them some answers.

"How is he?"

"Agent McGee has some bruises and is still unconscious, but he will recover. It looks like he had barely air left. Please, tell me that he was the last one from your team."

Gibbs pressed his lips together. He understood what the doctor wanted to imply. When McGee had run out of air, then Abby wouldn't survive the next day.

"How many are left?"

"A woman is still missing," Pride answered.

"Find her. Fast. Otherwise, I can't say that she will survive this."

* * *

Gibbs stood in front of the screen in the squad room. His eyes were fixated on the last video, which was left. The one of his precious Abby. Tired, he rubbed his eyes. He hadn't slept much on their way back home. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Abby's dead body on the ground, and Ducky pulling a white sheet over her. The picture haunted him, so instead of sleeping, he drank lots of coffee.

Now it was 9 am, and they were still waiting for the first riddle.

"You need sleep, brother."

"First we find Abby, then I can think about it."

"How is McGee?"

"Still unconscious, but he will survive. And I want to say the same thing about Abby."

"I'm sure, this guy will call…"

"You don't know anything!" yelled Gibbs.

The lack of sleep made him grumpy, as well as his worries for his surrogated daughter. He knew that Pride meant it well, but right now he wasn't in the mood for a pep talk. He needed this damn riddle!

"I check on the computer geeks."

He left the squad room, without taking another look at the team leader of New Orleans. Gibbs was aware of all the stares from the whole office, but he didn't care. None of them understood him.

He arrived on the upper floor just when Nell opened the door to MTAC.

"Agent Gibbs, I was just about to call you. He is back."

* * *

"You're good, Agent Gibbs. You already freed three of your beloved team members. There is only one left, but you're running out of time. Do you think you can save her in time?"

"Just give me the crossword and stop stalling!"

"You are so impatient. Remember, you need me and my little riddles. You better do not insult me, or your little girl will pay the price. Is that what you want?"

Gibbs made a fist, while he tried to stay calm. He would get Abby out of there, and then he would search the whole planet for this bastard.

"No."

"That's what I thought. How is Agent McGee."

"Could be better. Where is my crossword?"

"Where did you find the first riddles?"

Gibbs wanted to strangle this guy really bad. He couldn't wait until he would be face to face with the bastard and would be able to end his miserable life. This guy was stalling. He wanted to let Abby die. The ex-marine left MTAC without ending the call. He needed to solve the last three riddles, then he could save his little girl. He was so close!

The envelope lied on his desk as if it wanted to mock him. Quickly, Gibbs ripped it open to uncover the card inside. Of course, it was a new crossword puzzle. Angry, the silver fox handed the card to Callen.

"Have fun."

* * *

 **Crossword – Quiz Four**

 **/a/F2VNTig**

* * *

Two hours later, they were still waiting for the next riddle. They knew the last container came from Germany, but they needed the numbers to find the right one. Abby hadn't moved or opened her eyes, and Gibbs didn't like this at all. Was she already dead? What if she died last night, while he saved McGee? No, this bastard wouldn't do this. He would let Abby survive until Gibbs would be almost there to save her. This was the only reason why this guy was stalling.

Suddenly, the prepaid phone rang loud in the quiet squad room. Everyone looked confused at the little device until Gibbs picked it up.

"Gibbs?"

"This time, I will make it short since you will need a lot of time to solve the next three riddles. Go to George's Bowling Center and get ready for a bowling game. Take three other players with you, but make sure that no agents are under your friends. One of you has to score 200 points to get your new destination."

"Wait! Don't tell me I have to do this three times!"

But the shadow man had already hung up. Growling, Gibbs pushed the red button harder than necessary.

"200 points? It takes a while to reach such a score," Deeks said.

"He doesn't want me to take agents with me, but who else could I ask to come with me?"

"There would be me, for example."

Gibbs raised his head in surprise. Vance stood behind Kensi and Deeks.

"You can't do this, Leon."

"Why not?"

"You are the Director of NCIS. If anything happens to you…"

"During a bowling game? The last time I checked, you play this game by rolling the bowl on the floor and not to throw it like a baseball."

"What if…?"

"Stop, we are running out of time. Let's get two other players and get started. I want Miss Sciuto back too."

Gibbs thought about disagreeing, but then he turned back into action. Abby's life was on the line. He had to take every help he could get.

"Alright, I'll take the director and…"

"The autopsy gremlin isn't an agent," Tony suggested.

"Good point. Tell him to meet us at the cars. Then we only have one person left."

"Technically, I'm not an agent either."

Eric and Nell had appeared on the stairs, and the male technician seemed a little nervous.

"And I like Abby. And I'm kind of good at bowling. And…"

"You're in. Get your ass down here, we are leaving," Gibbs said and grabbed the car keys "Tony, what about Palmer?"

"He is on his way. Good luck."

* * *

The Bowling Center opened fifteen minutes after they arrived at the parking lot. Gibbs went straight to the owner.

"My name is Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS. Someone must have left an envelope for me."

"Maybe, he left it in this little box over there."

The owner walked them to a bowling alley, which had an 'out of service'-sign on it. A cable connected the terminal with a little box, which stood on the floor and had a digital zero on top.

"We found it this morning. Someone broke in and must have installed it, but until now we couldn't understand why."

"We need to play," Gibbs explained shortly.

"For how long?"

"Until one of us reaches a score of 200."

"This might take you a while. I hope you will pay for the game."

Gibbs was ready to kill the money-loving guy, so, Palmer disarmed the situation.

"That's not a problem. I'll pay. Why don't you start the game, and I pay this gentleman?"

"Good idea, Mr. Palmer," Vance said, "Come on, Gibbs. Let's get this started."

Angry Gibbs grabbed one ball ready to throw it.

"Wait!"

"You can't start yet! We have to enter our names!" yelled Eric.

"Then do it, damn it! And do it fast!"

Eric entered their names with quick fingers, and finally, the display greeted them and wished them good luck.

"You can start, Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs threw the ball, but he used his anger instead of calculating how to roll it. The round item drifted away and crushed one pin on the left side.

"The next one will be better."

Instead of an answer, Eric earned the famous Gibbs' stare.

"I have no time for this bullshit."

The next throw wasn't much better. This time two pins fell, while the rest was mocking Gibbs. This game would take forever!

* * *

Finally, Palmer ended the game after an hour with a score of 207 points. Suddenly, the little box on the floor opened and revealed a white card. Gibbs grabbed it and left the center with the players on his heels.

The next bowling hall was the House of Fun. Again they had to score 200 points to open a little box, which revealed their final destination. Gibbs was ready to shot the box as soon as he found out that they needed a score of 300 points for the last card. Vance stopped him before he could destroy the little device.

They needed almost two hours until Eric finished the game, and the box opened. Gibbs gave the technical operator the two other cards, while they walked to the car.

"Send those numbers to your girlfriend, so, they can send the numbers to this bastard!"

"Nell isn't my girlfriend."

Gibbs turned around, and Eric practically crushed into the older agent. Scared he made himself as small as possible.

"But… you don't care. You just want this numbers solved and sent. Got it."

"Do it! Fast!"

"Fast is my middle name."

Before Gibbs could strangle him, Eric jumped inside of the car and called Nell.

* * *

Cards:

 **1.**

341 x 3 + 182 : 5 – 53 x 4 + 95 : 7 + 271 – 112 x 7 – 560 : 70 + 279 – 148 x 9 + 471 : 4 + 137,75 x 2 – 521,5 : 3 + 105 – 94 : 4 x 12 – 362 + 37 : 4 – 30,25 : 8 – 4

 **2.**

425 – 165 x 3 : 2 + 56 – 112 x 4 : 8 + 295 – 72 : 3 x 5 + 46 : 2 – 152 x 7 + 22 : 8 – 58 + 369 x 2 : 5 + 167 – 34,1 : 3 – 64 + 15 : 30

 **3.**

278 x 4 + 174 – 286 : 5 + 149 x 2 – 73 + 111 : 8 x 4 + 238 – 44 x 3 : 8 + 28,25 x 4 : 2 – 126 + 62 : 6 – 13 x 3 + 215 – 74 : 3 + 27 : 5 – 23

* * *

The ex-marine nipped on his coffee when he exited the elevator. They had stopped for caffeine on their way back, otherwise, Gibbs would have killed Palmer and Eric as soon as they left the car. The two youngsters drove him crazy.

"Boss, I have McGee on the line," Tony said and pointed at his phone "He can hear you, McGee."

" _Hey, boss."_

"How are you doing?"

" _I have been better. I heard Abby is still missing?"_

"We find her."

" _How much time does she have left?"_

"We are close to finding her. What can you tell me about the night you got kidnapped?"

" _Not much."_

"Start with when you had left headquarters."

McGee sighed, then he told his story:

* * *

 _McGee opened the door of his apartment. He could still smell Delilah's perfume. She had visited him on the weekend, but she had already left on Sunday. McGee missed her, but he knew he couldn't make her stay. She loved her job, just like he did. Maybe he should…_

 _Before the tired agent could finish his thought, someone pushed him forward. He stumbled, then he made contact with the floor. Hissing McGee tried to suppress the pain, but then someone grabbed his hands and pulled them behind his back._

" _What the…?"_

 _Angry he tried to lose the hurting grip and fought back. Suddenly, he was free and he used his chance to get up. McGee turned when something hit him hard on the head. The last thing he saw, was his book "Deep Six", which landed on the floor beside him before everything went dark._

* * *

"You got hit by your own book?"

Tony tried his best not to laugh, but he already pictured his friend in his apartment, getting hit by the book he had written.

"Stop laughing, Tony. It wasn't funny."

"I'm trying, but… it's hilarious that the idiots took YOUR book to… I mean they could have taken anything, but they choose to take yours."

The senior field agent was lost. He couldn't suppress the laughter anymore. Sadly Gibbs wasn't in the mood for jokes. His hand tingled and he would have smacked his agent if there wouldn't be the head injury.

"Tony, get some fresh air."

"I'm good, boss. I'm working on…"

"Get some fresh air!"

This time, Tony got the message. Immediately, his laughter stopped, and he turned back to serious.

"It won't happen again, boss."

"Continue, McGee."

"Actually, there is not much left…"

* * *

 _Groaning, McGee awoke in a dark room. His head felt as if someone would use it as a drum. He was lying on his back, and his hands and feet were tied._

" _What happened?"_

 _Slowly, his memories returned and he remembered the attack in his apartment. Was he still there? Or did they move him? It was difficult to sit upright when you were tied up, but after a few tries, he did it. Then the special agent waited a few minutes until his eyes adjusted to the darkness. There was still not much light. The only light source was the small stripe from under the door. Finally, McGee was able to recognize that he wasn't alone in this room. He saw at least two dark figures, which were lying on the floor as well._

 _Suddenly, he heard footsteps, which came closer to the door. His kidnappers didn't need to know that he was already awake. It was the best for everyone if he would play unconsciously. The door opened, and the light of a flashlight appeared. McGee tried his best to resist the urge to open his eyes, so, he would see his kidnappers._

" _What do you say, Agent Gibbs? Isn't he a part of your team? Or what about her? She is really beautiful. Such nice long blonde hair. She was tough. Fought against me, although she knew she had no chance. But you want to see someone else, right? Well, don't panic. Here she is. Isn't she lovely?"_

 _The kidnapper moved through the room, while he was talking._

" _What do you want?"_

 _McGee was shocked when he recognized the voice of his boss. He had to be on the phone with the kidnapper._

" _I want you to suffer. I want you to lose everything that is important to you."_

" _Why?"_

" _Because you took everything from me! You ruined my life, and now I will ruin yours! But don't worry, I will give you a chance to save your team."_

 _`I highly doubt that,´ the quiet agent thought to himself `He will kill us as soon as he hangs up.´_

" _How?"_

" _Oh no, Agent Gibbs. Not now. I will call you again and then I will explain it to you. I promise that you will hear from me again."_

" _How do I know that my team isn't already dead? They look pretty dead to me."_

" _Do you have so little trust in me?"_

" _I don't know you. So why should I?"_

" _I told you, you know me, but that's a different story. Fine, I will prove you that your team is still alive. Watch closely."_

 _Now that the guy mentioned it, McGee had the feeling that he heard his voice before. But he couldn't tell from where. According to this guy, Gibbs knew him, so, they must have met him on a case. Suddenly, the crime-author heard how someone was making uncomfortable sounds as if the person was hurt. And it sounded like Abby!_

" _Leave her alone! I believe you!"_

" _Are you sure? Because I can push harder and…"_

" _STOP IT!"_

 _This time, McGee couldn't resist. He opened his eyes, but the flashlight was blinding him. He couldn't see anything._

" _I think that is enough for today. Expect my next call, Agent Gibbs. I will call soon."_

 _The kidnapper ended the call, then the light moved again. McGee had closed his eyes but apparently, the guy already knew about him._

" _Good morning, Agent McGee. I'm afraid your friends are still asleep."_

" _Who are you?"_

" _Don't worry. In a few days, this will be over. If your boss is as good as he thinks he is, then maybe you will survive this. Otherwise… well, let's say that NCIS has to hire new people if this goes wrong."_

 _McGee squinted, but the light was turned on his face. He couldn't see anything._

" _But now I have to arrange a few things. Good night, Agent McGee."_

" _Wait…!"_

 _But the flashlight hit his head, and he fell back into unconsciousness._

* * *

"Good job, McGee. Now lie back, and let us handle the rest."

" _Boss, I was already close to running out of air. Abby doesn't need as much air as I do, but…"_

"I'll find her."

" _I don't doubt that, but I'm afraid you're maybe…"_

"Don't say it, McGee. I'll find her."

* * *

 **Crossword 4 – Solution**

/a/p2SCs0k


	15. Chapter 15

**Is this it? Will Gibbs find his surrogate daughter? Will he find out, who is the face behind the shadow man?**

 **Enjoy the new chapter :)**

 **I don't own anything. The characters belong to CBS.**

Chapter 15

Gibbs' gaze turned from the countdown to Abby's live video and back to the numbers. The time was almost up – less than 20 hours were left – and his forensic scientist hadn't moved in hours. She needed water or she would not only die of suffocation but of lacking liquids too.

The night started to fall over the city, but he was still missing the call of the shadow man with the last riddle. What took him so long? Did he want to wait until Abby was dead? Was this his cruel plan? Did the guy want him to watch her die?

"Gibbs."

Pride laid his hand on his friend's shoulder gently.

"You have to stop torturing yourself."

"She is out there, Pride, and I can't help her."

"You do everything you can."

"It's not enough."

"She believes in you. She trusts you to save her and to get this bastard. There is no way that we are going to let him win this game."

"Of course not, but I'm running out of ideas. All I can think about is her."

"I would say drink a coffee, but I'm afraid you had already more than enough for today. Besides, it would probably do more damage than good. So, what about a walk outside?"

"No, I wait until he calls and if I have to stay here for the whole night, then this is what I'm going to do."

"Agent Gibbs, King."

The two older agents lifted their heads to Lasalle, who was standing on the stairs.

"It's time for the last round. He's online."

* * *

The shadow man was already waiting, but Gibbs decided not to push his luck this time. The bastard wanted him to suffer, and if he would argue again, then he would never see his little girl again. Plain and simple.

"What's next?"

"You're almost at the end, Agent Gibbs. Congratulations."

"The last riddle?"

"It's already on its way. You know the drill. But first, I want to show you something."

Gibbs wanted to cover his ears, but he knew he had to play along. At least, he would hear something about McGee, and not about Abby. He wouldn't survive it to hear his little girl screaming and begging to end this torture.

" _What do you want from me? Where are my friends? Where am I?"_

There was silence for a moment, then McGee's voice returned.

" _Listen, my name is Special Agent Timothy McGee and I work for NCIS. Many people will be looking for me. If you release me now, I will put in a good word for you."_

Again, there was silence. Gibbs felt how his hand was tingling. He wanted to use his gun and shoot this guy. But he knew it would be no use. The bastard wasn't here. Gibbs needed to wait and listen to the whole recording or he wouldn't get what he wanted. At the next audio file, McGee's voice sounded weaker as if he was running out of air.

" _I don't know why you do this, but please, please, let me out of there. The air is getting thinner, and I really don't wanna die in here. Please, let me out. You don't want to kill me."_

"Your little agent was wrong."

"About what?"

"I wanted to kill him. I wanted to kill all your agents. Maybe, I will have some luck with your little girl. Because to me, she isn't looking too well."

The video changed, and now Gibbs was staring at the live video of Abby's prison. She wasn't moving. Hell, he couldn't see, if she was even breathing! Then the screen turned black. The shadow man had disconnected the call.

* * *

Sudoku 4

/a/kcCcwSj

 **This riddle is from "Rätselblock Sudoku Nr. 117", riddle on page 123.**

 **Level of difficulty: difficult**

* * *

The last riddle had been on Gibbs' desk when he returned to the squad room. The agents didn't waste time. They grabbed their jackets and weapons and went to their cars. Gibbs left the driving to Pride. All he could see was Abby's lifeless body on the screen. What would he do if he wouldn't make it in time? He couldn't kill the kidnapper because he still didn't know who he was or why he did this. Not even the agents he had called, had been able to find him.

"Don't."

Confused the silver fox turned to his friend, who was still concentrating on the street.

"Stop thinking about her death."

"How do you know…?"

"You love this girl, and this bastard shocked all of us with his video. But we won't let him win. We saved the other three and we will save her too. And when this is over, I will help you to find him. I won't leave until we have this psychopath."

"None of us will," Brody explained before she returned to her riddle.

The shadow of a smile tugged at Gibbs' lips. He appreciated the help and the support, but they couldn't wipe away his fears. The truth was he wouldn't survive Abby's death. He promised her to keep her safe and he didn't.

"We have a problem, King."

"What is it, Chris?"

"This bastard gave us two numbers."

"And that's a problem because…"

"We only need one. There is only one number left for the container combination, but we have two. This gives us two different container numbers. We have a '1' and a '2'."

"What?!"

"Maybe, they only have one of these containers at the port," Brody suggested, "Maybe, he wants us to freak out, so, we make mistakes."

"Let's get there, then we decide what our next step is," Gibbs said, but in his mind, he knew he was screwed.

They wouldn't be lucky enough that only one container would be there. No, this bastard did everything on purpose. He planned the whole thing. He wanted to kill Abby.

* * *

The CEO of the port, Mr. Jackson, was already waiting for them in his office.

"This will be the last one, right? No more missing agents?"

"First, we have to find her," Kensi replied.

"I need the number."

"We have two."

"Two numbers? So, we need two teams?"

"No," Callen said "The kidnapper made it clear that we can only open one container. If we are wrong, then he detonates the bomb. We have one try."

Brody handed Mr. Jackson the numbers '4231' and '4232', and he started to type them into his computer. When they heard him sigh heavily, they knew that their hopes were gone.

"They are both here and they stand on opposite sides of this port. If you can only open one of them, then now is the time to choose which one."

Everyone turned to Gibbs, who was staring at the computer screen. The two containers were marked and blinked red in a simultaneous rhythm. Which one would lead him to Abby? Which one would give him his girl back?

"Gibbs," Pride interrupted his thoughts "Just listen to your gut. It will tell you, where we can find Abby."

His gut. He hadn't listened to his gut very much for the last couple of days. Now, he tried to activate his famous tool, but it seemed to be broken. His gut was telling him that none of those containers was the one he searched. And if this would be the case, it meant that he would never find Abby. His little girl was dead.

"Gibbs, tell us which number," Callen said, "We can't waste any more time thinking. We have to do something."

"What is your gut telling you, brother?"

"It tells me… that we are wrong. Both numbers are wrong."

Silence filled the room, while the confused agents looked at each other. Pride was the first one, who tried to reason with his friend.

"Gibbs, this is the frustration talking. I don't believe this bastard is so cruel to give you TWO wrong numbers. He told the truth about all other containers. Why should he lie about the last one?"

"Because he wants me to suffer. He doesn't want me to find Abby. Abby shall die, because this will destroy me, and he knows it."

"Alright, let's try a different strategy. We know he has cameras INSIDE the containers. But maybe, he can't see what we are doing outside. So, let's split up into two teams and each one takes one container. This is the only way to find Abby in those metal boxes."

"She is not there."

Gibbs didn't want to discuss his bad feeling with Pride. Instead, he left the control room. The hunt was over.

* * *

Pride followed Gibbs outside, who was leaning against the handrail.

"I know this case is hard for you. But you're almost at the end. We are that close to finding Abby. And you want to give up? You don't do such a stupid thing. You fight for her."

"And I would keep fighting, but this is useless. You asked me to listen to my gut. You know that it never failed me. Well, I'm telling you, my little girl isn't in those containers. She is lying in another one, we don't know about, and maybe, one day he will give her back to me. Just to show me that I couldn't save her. That she is dead, because of me."

"Alright, let's pretend those numbers are both fakes. What other options do we have?"

"Options? Find the bastard, get the real number, then kill him."

"I'm in. How do we do that?"

"We don't. Because not even those technical geeks from LA had been able to find him. This bastard is smart and he knows it. We won't find him until he wants us to."

Pride sighed tiredly. He couldn't believe that they were stuck. They did everything the kidnapper wanted, but they couldn't save the fragile little Abby? This girl was innocent. She didn't deserve to die in a stupid metal box.

Suddenly, Gibbs' cell phone rang. The caller ID showed that it was McGee. The silver fox was tempted to press the `decline´ button. He couldn't tell his agent that Abby was lost forever. Pride saw Gibbs' hesitation, so, he took the little device from him and answered the call.

"Agent McGee, this is Pride."

" _Where is Gibbs?"_

"He is… thinking."

" _We found him!"_

"That's amazing. And who exactly did you find?"

" _I'm at the Navy Yard. I worked with Nell and Eric and..."_

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't you be in the hospital?"

" _Not when my friend is missing. But that's not the point. We found the connection to the kidnapper."_

"You mean you know his name and where he lives?"

" _Way better, we know where he is right now. We were able to trace the videos to his laptop, which he carries with him apparently. At this moment, he is at work."_

"Tell me it is close."

" _You won't believe it. He works at the port. The coordinates are on Callen's phone."_

"You've got to be kidding me."

" _Catch him and kick his ass for me."_

"Let me guess, McGee is back at the Navy Yard," Gibbs sighed when Pride hung up.

Instead of an answer, the team leader of New Orleans grabbed Gibbs' hand and pulled him with him back inside of the building. If they even had the tiniest chance to find Abby, this was it. They wouldn't get another one.

"The technique freaks found the kidnapper. He works on the port. If we are lucky, we can beat Abby's location out of him."

* * *

The teams arrived at a second control center on the Westside of the port. This one was built for only one person, and according to Mr. Jackson, he couldn't even describe the guy. All he knew was that he was never late for work, didn't talk too much and his work was good. He never had a reason to doubt the guy or to yell at him.

Callen and Sam stormed in with their guns drawn.

"NCIS! Put your hands up!"

"I want to see your hands!"

"I don't want to repeat myself! Do it!"

Gibbs and Pride followed them, while the rest secured the ground. Sam cuffed the worker, then he pulled the helmet down. Gibbs' eyes widened in shock.

"I know you."

* * *

 _Gibbs: "Sorry to have missed the budget meeting yesterday, Sir. But you know how the Colonel gets when he's sick."_

 _Watson: "How's he doing, Gunny?"_

 _Gibbs: "Better, Sir. Thank you. He wanted me to check with you. See if you needed any extra help down here."_

 _Watson: "Tell him I appreciate it, but we've got things covered."_

 _Gibbs: "Roger that, Sir."_

* * *

 _Watson: "I screwed up. I screwed it all up."_

 _Gibbs: "It's only been 40 minutes, Captain. He will contact you soon. Until then, you have to stay strong. It's our best chance of getting your family back."_

* * *

 _Watson: "Don't know how we could ever thank you, Agent Gibbs."_

 _Watson's wife: "We owe you so much."_

 _Gibbs: "You thank Special Agent Watson here. We couldn't have done it without her. Thanks."_

* * *

 _Gibbs: "Captain Watson?"_

 _Watson: "Agent Gibbs. This is not what you think."_

 _Gibbs: "You're right. It wasn't."_

 _Kate: "You did this to your own family?"_

 _Watson: "No, nobody was supposed to get hurt."_

 _Tony: "Is that tight enough for you, Captain?"_

 _Watson: "I cannot believe this is happening! The perfect plan. Even Grayson didn't know who hired him. How the hell did you figure this out?"_

 _Kate: "Next time, you might want to send your note to the FBI."_

 _Watson: "Look, you've got to understand. I needed the money because…"_

 _Gibbs: "Don't you dare tell me that there's a reason for you throwing away what you had."_

* * *

"Hello, Agent Gibbs," Mr. Watson answered smiling, "I told you, you would remember."

"You are the asshole, who threw away his life because he got too greedy. You had an adorable daughter and a beautiful wife, but you threw it away for money."

"I did it FOR them! But you will never understand this! You didn't want to back then and you will not now either."

"Where is the woman?"

"I gave you two numbers, didn't I? What else do you need?"

Gibbs wanted to whip off this arrogant smile on Watson's face, but he needed answers. He needed a location!

"I want the right one! I want the container, which holds my forensic scientist captured!"

The smile grew bigger. This guy wouldn't say anything. He felt great pleasure in Gibbs' pain. The ex-marine locked his gun, then he punched the face in front of him. He would have tried it a second time, but Pride was there to stop him.

"Gibbs! He needs to be able to talk to tell us the location!"

"She is dead, Agent Gibbs! Haven't you noticed?! She didn't move in hours! Ms. Sciuto died hours ago, knowing that you wouldn't come to save her! I took your little girl, just like you took mine!"

"Your daughter is still alive!"

"But I'm dead to her! She doesn't want to speak to me anymore! She doesn't play for me anymore! All because of you!"

Pride pulled his friend out of the control center, while Callen and Sam took over the interrogation.

"Where is she, asshole?"

"Good luck, finding her!"

Gibbs sat down on the stairs and hid his face in his hands. He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it.

"I promised to keep her safe."

"Don't lose hope, Gibbs. We have the word of a psychopath that she is dead. I don't believe it until I see her dead body."

"I was already right about the container."

"That's true, but I don't accept her death until it's confirmed by a person I trust. We found the kidnapper. We have his laptop and all his notes. It should be possible to find her."

"Agent Gibbs."

Sam left the control center with a piece of paper in his hands.

"We found this on his desk. Those are four container numbers. We opened the first three already, but the fourth one isn't a match to the two numbers he gave us, although, it also comes from Germany. This one says '2018'. It's a long shot, but maybe, Abby is inside of it."

Pride reached for the paper, but Gibbs was faster. While he looked at the last number, he tried to listen to his gut. Could this be the right one? Was this container the prison of his little girl?

"I say we try it," Pride said, "Call Mr. Jackson. We need the location, immediately."

* * *

They needed fifteen minutes until they arrived at their destination. Brody and Lasalle had used the laptop to turn off the bombs. This way, they wouldn't have any problems to open the container doors. Nervous Gibbs stood in front of the big metal box and this time, he knew that this was the right one. Abby was inside of it.

 _`Hang on, Abs. I'm coming.´_

Callen arrived with the bolt clipper to crush the lock. Sam and Deeks opened the doors carefully. Although the agents from New Orleans said they had disabled the bombs, the other agents were still careful. Who knew what this bastard installed additionally?

But the former marine couldn't wait any longer. As soon as the gap was big enough to let him pass, he moved inside.

"Abby!"

The forensic scientist lied on the ground, just like he remembered from the video. Carefully, Gibbs pulled her into his arms and pushed her hair out of her face.

"Abby, Abs, wake up."

His fingers found her throat and started to search for her pulse. But no matter how hard he pressed his fingers against her skin, he couldn't find it.

"Gibbs."

Pride appeared beside him and stroked softly the cheek of the young woman.

"I'm sorry. She is dead."

* * *

 **Solution of Sudoku 4**

 **/a/GlfJpsn**


	16. Chapter 16

**I know I shocked you with the end of the last chapter. I hope you will continue with the last three chapters (this one included). But there will be no more riddles.**

 **Enjoy the new chapter and thank you for your reviews :)**

 **I don't own anything. The characters belong to CBS.**

Chapter 16

"I don't accept this."

Gibbs put Abby's lifeless body back on the mattress and started with the resuscitation. Pride wanted to stop his friend by putting his hand on his shoulder, but the team leader from DC just slapped it away and continued.

"Gibbs, she is…"

"I have to try!"

"You don't know for how long her heart isn't beating anymore. We know that she wasn't moving for hours, and this bastard said it too. She is probably dead since…"

"I don't want to hear this!"

Sadly Pride left the container to give his friend some room. There was no way he could stop the stubborn man. He would accept her death but maybe, he needed to be alone to do so. Gibbs would soon realize that his attempts were useless.

Callen and Sam waited at the entrance with sad faces. They didn't know the woman very well, but they had liked her.

"This is not how we wanted this to end," Callen whispered.

"Gibbs doesn't want to accept her death yet. I'm afraid, we have to sedate him. Otherwise, he won't stop, and we won't get her out."

"We can't…"

Suddenly, they heard how someone took a loud gasp, followed by some coughs. Pride swirled around only to witness the impossible. Abby was breathing! She was alive!

"Abby! Abs, can you hear me?"

"Gibbs?"

Her voice sounded hoarse as if she hadn't used it for a very long time.

"I'm here. WHERE IS THE AMBULANCE?"

Callen gave the command onward to the rest of the agents. Pride ran to their car to grab a bottle of water. Abby was dehydrated and needed liquid. They needed to keep her awake until the ambulance would arrive. In disbelief, Pride went back to his friends and knelt beside the forensic scientist, who was wrapped in Gibbs' arms.

"Hey, kiddo. Do you want some water?"

"Pride? What are you doing here?"

"Are you kidding? My favorite girl was missing. I had to come to help my brother."

"Your favorite girl?" groaned Gibbs, but he didn't release Abby.

"Accept it, brother. I knew her first. And if I'm honest, I wish I could convince her to come back home."

"Keep dreaming."

Abby started to laugh, which ended in a terrible cough. Gibbs released her but kept holding her arm until she was good again. Pride opened the bottle and offered it to her. The forensic scientist smiled when she grabbed the bottle with shaking hands.

"Thank you."

"The ambulance is here."

Callen appeared behind the two older agents. Abby became big eyes when she saw the agent from Los Angeles.

"Callen? Who else did you bring to Washington?" she asked her boss.

"I needed help, so, I called the best I could find."

"Hello, Abby Sciuto. It's good to see that you're alive. Everyone was really worried."

"Thank you, for helping him, G. Callen."

"It's Grisha."

"You found out your surname?"

"It's a long story. Maybe, I tell you later about it."

"I would love to hear it."

"But not now," Gibbs said determined and stroke softly over her crazy hair "Can you walk?"

Abby took another sip, then she closed the bottle and gave it back to Pride.

"I don't know. Maybe you guys could…"

"I'll take her," Callen said.

He handed his weapon to Gibbs, who moved out of the way. Then he pulled the fragile woman in his arms and carried her outside to the waiting ambulance.

* * *

Pride watched his brother and Abby through the glass. The pale woman lied in one of the big hospital beds, while Gibbs was sitting in a chair next to her and held her hand. Both were asleep for almost an hour now. Dr. Nelson had suggested that Abby should stay at least a week, to make sure she would make a full recovery and Gibbs had agreed, immediately. There was no way he would allow the forensic scientist to leave earlier.

"How are they doing?"

Kensi stopped beside him and followed his gaze.

"Abby is under medication and Gibbs… well, he is extremely exhausted. He doesn't even care to interrogate this bastard, who is responsible for his pain."

"I think he is glad that he has his team back. I know how hard it can be if you have to imagine that you won't see your friends and family anymore. It can destroy you."

"But luckily, they're not dead. This bastard lost, and I will make him pay for what he did. Gibbs may not be healthy enough to do it now, but I gladly take over for him on this part. Abby is a really good friend, and I don't like it when someone hurts my friends."

"So, you're coming back to Washington with us?"

"Yes, I leave Chris and Brody here to inform me if anything happens to them. Has someone informed the rest of Gibbs' team?"

"Sam was dialing when I left."

"Good, then let's roll. We should give them the rest they need."

Gibbs awoke from a new nightmare. The shadow man had finally shown his face and had revealed himself as Captain Watson, who… Slowly, his eyes focused on the person in front of him, who was lying in the hospital bed. Relieved Gibbs sighed when he recognized Abby. He had saved her. She was alive and she would… Again, he had to interrupt himself. Panicking he stood from the chair and pressed his fingers against her throat to find her pulse.

 _`Please be there. Please be there.´_

"What are you doing?"

Abby's voice was just a sleepy murmur, but it was all Gibbs needed. This wasn't a dream. Abby was alive. Slowly, he sat back in the chair, but he didn't let go of her hand.

"I had to check."

"If I'm still breathing?"

"You don't know what it's like to have a person you care about lying dead in your arms. I'm afraid I have to tell you, this won't be the last time I checked on you."

Abby opened her beautiful green eyes and smiled at him.

"You saved me."

"Did you have doubts?"

Gibbs expected to hear a clear `No´, but she hesitated for almost three heartbeats.

"No."

"You're lying."

"I'm not. Can we talk about something else?"

But Gibbs wasn't the person you shake off by changing the subject. He moved closer to her.

"Abs, talk to me."

"When can I leave the hospital? I don't want to stay here for a week. I feel fine and…"

"That's not what I meant."

"How are Tony, McGee, and Bishop? How bad have they been hurt? I can't believe that…"

"Abby!"

The forensic scientist closed her mouth and her gaze went to their intertwined hands. She was clearly avoiding him. Sighing Gibbs grabbed her chin softly and forced her to look at him.

"Did you have doubts about me rescuing you?"

Again, there was this hesitation in her eyes, and he saw that she was close to crying.

"No," she whispered.

Gibbs chuckled quietly. His little girl was a terrible liar.

"I'm sorry that it took me so long. I would have saved you immediately, but I had to wait until he gave me the next riddle. There were three of them, which I had to solve to find one of you."

"Three riddles?"

"A crossword, a block of numbers and a riddle, which is called Sumaku or something like that."

"You mean Sudoku."

"Yeah, I think that's what Miss Blye called it."

"How did you solve them?"

"I didn't. I gave the young agents the opportunity to do something."

Abby giggled at his words. That was the Gibbs she knew. She couldn't imagine her silver fox working on a Sudoku riddle.

"Those poor agents. I believe they need two weeks of vacation after those days. Or a month."

"Do you want to tell me that I'm too hard on them?"

"I wouldn't dare."

Gibbs was relieved to hear her laughing again. He couldn't express how much he had missed it to hear her voice. How afraid he had been to never hear it again. But he had noticed how she tried to push him into another direction.

"Good, now let's get back to our earlier conversation."

"Gibbs…"

"I promised to keep you safe."

"It's like you said. It wasn't your fault."

"I failed you."

"No, you didn't."

"It will never happen again."

"Gibbs."

Softly Abby squeezed his hand and gave him a little smile. She didn't want to cry, but she felt how she was losing herself.

"I know that it wasn't your fault. None of us thought this would ever happen. And I would have never guessed that I would lose… that I would ever think…"

Tears started to build in her eyes again and this time, they were running down her cheeks. Gently Gibbs wiped off the salty drops.

"I'm sorry, Gibbs. I didn't want to have doubts, but then I ran out of air, and the time went by and I…"

Gibbs stood up and sat next to her on the bed, then he put his arm around her and pressed his lips on her hair. Abby started to sob. She laid her head on his chest and put her arm around his waist. She had missed his support, his strong arms and his reassuring words.

"You're safe, Abs. He will never hurt you ever again."

* * *

Meanwhile, Pride and Callen sat in interrogation with the kidnapper, Mr. Watson.

"According to your file, you've been arrested ten years ago, but they released you after five because of good conduct," Callen read from the report "Since then, you work for the port of Baltimore. Is that right?"

"You can read. Congratulations."

"It was Agent Gibbs, who arrested you all those years ago. I assume this is the reason why you are so angry with him. But why did you kidnap his team?"

"Are you stupid? Even my blind daughter was able to see it. His team is his family. They mean everything to him. Their death would have destroyed him."

"How do you know about his feelings for his colleagues? I can't imagine he told you anything."

"He didn't have to. Since I'm out of prison, I followed him whenever I could. I saw how he was smiling and even laughing, especially when this Goth girl was around. It was obviously, how he felt about her and that he would protect her with his life. At this moment, I knew she had to die, so, I would get my revenge."

"So, the other three agents were just a distraction."

"Yes, and to waste time."

"Why did you wait five years?" asked Pride.

"I had to make plans. I needed the perfect plan to make Agent Gibbs suffer. I could've killed his team by drowning them or by setting them on fire. I could've done a lot of things, but I needed the perfect solution to get the most out of it. So, I finally decided that my new horrible job would give me an amazing opportunity to slowly kill the man by showing him the pain of his beloved family. And it worked."

"You don't care that you go back to prison."

"Of course, not. My only goal was to destroy Agent Gibbs. He took everything from me when he arrested me. I lost my sweet daughter, while he had everything. Now, he knows how it feels when you lose a daughter."

Angry Pride jumped out of his chair, but before he could strangle Mr. Watson, Callen stopped him by grabbing his arm. A big, satisfied smile lied on the face of the young agent.

"Haven't you told him, Agent Pride?"

"Told me what?"

"I wanted to hear his story first and now, I would like to strangle him."

"Told me what?" asked Watson and this time, anger was in his voice.

"It's such a shame. He plans five years on his revenge. Even risks to lose his job and to get back to prison, but in the end, it was all for nothing."

"What are you talking about? Everything went as planned! Sure, I wished every one of his agents would be dead, but knowing that Miss Sciuto died because he was too late, is more than enough for me!"

Callen chuckled, while he closed the file, then he stood up and went to the door.

"What is so damn funny?!"

"Do you want to tell him, Agent Pride?"

"Sure, the shocked look on his face will maybe make me feel a little bit better."

"THEN SAY IT, DAMN IT!"

Pride leaned over the table until his face was close to Mr. Watsons, whose skin had already a reddish color.

"Your plan failed. Miss Sciuto didn't die in the container. We were able to reanimate her. Have fun in jail."

The red color vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Instead, the man turned pale and his eyes widened in shock.

"You're lying," he whispered, "I saw it. She wasn't moving anymore or breathing."

The two agents closed the door behind the bastard with a satisfied smile. He would need some time to process the new information and to realize that he had thrown away his life a second time for nothing.

* * *

Of course, Abby didn't want to stay a week. After a day, she talked to Dr. Nelson and the nurses and when this didn't work, she started an escape attempt on day three. Gibbs stopped her before she could actually leave the building. He threatened her to cuff her to the bed, but Abby didn't care. She wanted out of the hospital. She wanted to see her friends and she wanted to go home.

On day four, Gibbs gave in. The silver fox insisted that she would visit a doctor in Washington every day and that she would end up in a hospital if she would show any signs of weakness. Furthermore, she would be on sick leave for the next weeks. This was the point, where Abby started to protest again. There was no way she would stay at home for WEEKS. Sadly, Gibbs was her ticket out of this nightmare, so, she agreed finally. But the forensic scientist insisted to drive to the Navy Yard after her release. She wanted to see her friends and to thank the agents, who helped to solve the case.

"What if they went home?"

Abby was a nervous wreck and if she hadn't had her arms around Gibbs' waist, she would have chewed on her fingernails. The former marine sighed heavily before he pressed his lips against her temple.

"Abs," he murmured, "I told you they are as stubborn as you are and they will be here. Besides, they know that you're coming and want to see you."

"I'm not stubborn."

"You should lie in a hospital or at least in a comfy bed. Instead, we are here because you want to greet everyone."

"I love our family. And it was really nice of Pride and his team, as well as Callen's team, to come over to help you. They didn't have to do this."

"Well, you can thank them in a minute. Just take it slow with your bear hugs. You still have to recover, and I don't want you to knock yourself out because you are overwhelmed by your feelings."

"So, I'm supposed to give them a Gibbs hug? Because this would be mean I wouldn't give a hug at all, and this is so not happening."

"I hug people."

"When?"

"I give you hugs."

"I'M the one, who gives you a hug most of the times. It's rare that it comes from you. And I can't remember the last time when I saw you giving hugs to other people."

Luckily for Gibbs, the elevator arrived, and the doors opened.

"Let's go."

Abby released her boss with a smile on her face and was ready to storm off. But Gibbs was still in reach to stop her. He wouldn't let her walk on her own.

"Recovery, remember?" whispered he before he pulled an arm around her waist and kept hold of her arm.

"This is annoying."

"I don't care."

"Kiddo!"

Pride was the first, who saw his two friends. Abby's eyes shone with true happiness when the older man pulled her carefully in his arms. Gibbs smiled. This was the reason, why he had given in to her request. He had to see the happiness back in her beautiful green eyes.

"It's good to see you, Pride."

"Abby!"

Tony, McGee, and Bishop were next in the line and gave their little sister a big group hug. Abby giggled happily, and Gibbs enjoyed the familiar sound. Pride stood next to him, while the little group split up, so, the black haired woman could move on to the rest, who was waiting in the office.

"She looks better."

"She still needs to recover."

"I'm sure you will take care of it."

"How did it end with…"

"It was too easy. He didn't even deny it. He told us everything about how he started to follow you, to how he invented his evil plan and finally went through with it. And he admitted that he wanted Abby to die. She was the real target, and the others were just a distraction. I have to say I was disappointed. I wanted to break him a few bones to get my answers."

"Good, means there is more for me."

"I don't know if Vance lets you get close to him. Don't you think he knows what you would do?"

"Who says that I ask him?"

"Because that is how this works, Special Agent Gibbs."

The older gentlemen turned to Vance, who was standing behind him. Apparently, he just arrived for work and heard every word of their conversation.

"Would you allow me to see Mr. Watson?"

"Of course, not. He wants you to suffer, Gibbs, which means, he will provoke you with every little detail about the abduction of your team. And this will end, by you beating the crap out of him."

"Which is exactly what he deserves," Pride murmured.

"And this is the reason, why none of you two will go and see him. Because you will both lose your badges, and I would like to prevent that."

Gibbs sighed, then he faced his little family again. Abby was hugging Kensi, while she was thanking everyone for their help.

"Gibbs?" asked Vance, "Gibbs, I mean it. Take Miss Sciuto, send your team home. You are all on sick leave for at least two weeks."

"You do realize that I'm not sick?"

"The last few days were stressful. You barely slept. Go home, take a rest. You all deserve it."

"I don't want to agree with him, brother, but he is right. You need sleep like no one else in this room. Take Abby with you. This way you can check on her and you can get the rest you need."

Gibbs opened his mouth to protest, but then he saw the worry in Pride's eyes. The silver fox hadn't looked in a mirror lately, but he could only assume that he didn't look good. Maybe, he should accept the offer and go home. The comfort of his couch was way better than the chair in the hospital.

"When do you leave?" asked Gibbs his friend.

"In a few hours. We finish the paperwork, then we grab our stuff and fly home. The bad guys don't sleep."

Gibbs pulled Pride in for a friendly hug.

"Thank you, for your help. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Always. I'm just one call away. Besides, I would do anything for the kid. Are you sure that you can't give her back to me?"

"Abby stays with me. You have to do better if you want her."

"Fine, get some rest, brother. I'm glad that we freed everyone."

"Me too."


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm sorry for the delay. I had a lot to do in the last days.**

 **Enjoy the new chapter:)**

 **I don't own anything. The characters belong to CBS.**

Chapter 17

"Tony, give me the remote control. I don't want to watch this."

"Forget it, McGrumpy. This is a classic. Everyone loves this."

"Well, I don't. So, can we please change the DVD?"

"No, just give it a few minutes and then you get it, too."

"We already watched half an hour. It's not getting better."

Gibbs sighed heavily in the kitchen. What had he been thinking when he told his team to sleep at his place? Well, he wanted to make sure that they are alright. That his little family was safe. But now they started to act like little children because they couldn't agree on a movie they all liked. Why did he even bother to make them dinner?

"Hey, Gibbs."

Surprised he turned to the forensic scientist, who was standing in the door with a blanket around her shoulders.

"What are you doing here, Abs? Didn't I tell you not to leave the couch?"

"Tony and McGee are fighting, and I'm not in the mood to listen to them."

"I'll end this once and for all," Gibbs growled and wanted to storm by his surrogate daughter, but she stepped in his way.

"Don't, please. They were kidnapped and locked up for days. They need a little fighting to feel like themselves again."

Gibbs narrowed his eyes, while he observed the woman in front of him. She was a little pale again and definitely not her usual happy self. Softly the silver fox laid his hand on her cheek.

"How do you feel?"

"I'm good."

"Abs…"

"I'm getting better. Being out of this hospital helps a lot. I need things, which give me comfort and give me a good feeling. Like home, family, friends or work."

"You're not going back to work for the next few weeks."

"We'll talk about that on another day."

"Not a chance. You almost died this time. I held you in my arms, and you weren't breathing. Do you have any idea how bad…?"

Gibbs couldn't finish the question. His heart was giving him pain when he thought back to this horrible moment. It had been his worst nightmare coming true.

Abby knew her boss well enough to know what he must have felt and how bad it did infect him. She must have reminded him of the time when he had lost Kelly. Carefully, she pulled her arms around his waist and gave him one of her hugs.

"I tried to save air as much as I could, but in the end, there was nothing left. I wanted to stay awake until you find me, but…"

"It's not your fault, Abs. The one, who is responsible for our pain, is Mister Watson. I can't hurt him anymore since he is already in prison, but I will make sure that he will never come out again."

"Sounds fantastic."

Suddenly, they noticed a bad smell in the kitchen.

"Ehm, Gibbs? I think your sauce is more than ready."

"Damn it!"

Quickly, Gibbs released Abby and turned back to the dinner he was preparing. If he wouldn't be more careful, they had to order something.

"Why don't you go back in there and give those two idiots a head slap from me?"

"I would rather help you here."

"There is nothing you can do. The dinner is ready, I just have to put it on some plates."

"So, there is something I can help you with."

"No, it's not."

"You can't carry all plates at once."

"Then I have to go twice. Go back to the boys."

"Have you talked to Bishop?"

"She called me as soon as she and Jake arrived at home. It sounded as if tonight would end in a nice dinner and a long sleep."

"That's good."

Gibbs went silent, while he filled four plates with the food. When he wanted to carry two plates to his fighting kids, he noticed that Abby hadn't moved an inch. She had a big smile on her lips and held out her hands to help him. Sighing, the former marine handed her the plates.

"Why can't you just do what I say?"

"I want to help you."

"And I want you to take some rest."

"And I will. But not now."

"Go, we have to split the crazy birds out there."

Together they entered the living room. Tony and McGee were lying on the ground, both fighting for the remote control. Gibbs placed his plates on the table before he grabbed the stupid device out of their hands.

"Enough with this nonsense! You both stop this immediately, or you will help me in the house for the next weeks."

"Boss, Tony isn't willing to…"

"I don't want to hear this. Eat your dinner."

Abby giggled, while she put the third plate down. Then she went with her dinner to the couch, which she shared with Gibbs. The boys used the floor as their place to watch the movie. Tony earned a light head slap before everyone turned to their food, and silence fell on the living room, except for the TV, which was still showing 'Sherlock Holmes – The Woman in Green'.

* * *

" _Daddy! Daddy, wake up!"_

 _Tired Gibbs groaned. He needed sleep. Why couldn't they all leave him alone?_

" _Daddy! I know that you can hear me! Wake up!"_

 _He knew this voice. No, he heard those words before! Quickly, the former marine opened his eyes and was rewarded with two beautiful green eyes. Abby's little face was leaning over him and she smiled when she saw that he was awake._

" _See? I knew you heard me, daddy. Why didn't you answer me?"_

" _Abby."_

 _This time, he remembered. He had this nightmare before. He was in the squad room, and this was his little Abby, who he had scared off._

" _I know my name. I want an answer."_

 _Gibbs just looked at her and admired her beauty. She was so innocent and filled with love. The last time, he had pushed her away, because he hadn't wanted to believe this dream. Because he wasn't her dad. This time, he wouldn't make the same mistake._

" _Daddy? Are you deaf?"_

 _The little girl was poking his chest with her little fingers. Smiling, Gibbs grabbed her, pulled her onto his stomach and started to tickle her. Abby squeaked, while she tried to escape his strong hands._

" _Let me go!"_

" _What's going on here?"_

 _Little Tony appeared in front of his desk._

" _Tony, help me! Daddy tickles me!"_

 _Gibbs sat up, then he tried to grab the unsuspecting boy, but Tony wasn't stupid. Quickly, he jumped out of Gibbs' reach._

" _Not a chance, dad."_

 _Abby wanted to use the distraction to run away, but the old man wasn't ready to let go of the sweet girl. Softly he held her close to him and gave her a kiss on her hair._

" _Daddy, I can't breathe," Abby giggled._

" _That's not true. You can still speak, so, there is plenty of air left."_

 _She pushed him away with her tiny arms, and Gibbs played along. Smiling he pushed her small nose, which ended in another giggle._

" _I'm sorry, boss. I tried my best to keep an eye on them, but they are really quick."_

 _Bishop arrived with McGee's younger self. She was still a full grown-up._

" _Never apologize. It's a sign of weakness," Gibbs replied._

" _Right, rule number 6. I promise that I won't let them out of my side anymore."_

 _If everything went as planned Pride and Callen should arrive any minute._

" _Hey, kids. Have you already driven your father crazy?"_

" _Agent Pride! That is not funny," Bishop said angrily to the older agent._

 _And here they were. Suddenly, Gibbs felt how Abby winded herself out of his embrace and ran towards his friend._

" _How is my sweet Abby?"_

" _Uncle Pride!"_

 _Pride lifted the giggling girl up in the air until he rested her on his hip. Her pigtails were swinging up and down. A memory appeared in front of Gibbs' eyes. Abby in Pride's arms, the darkness coming closer, four men who were attacking them, Abby screaming for help. Gibbs was on his feet within a second and took a closer look at the office. There was no darkness or a cold coming over him. The sun was shining through the windows as if nothing could destroy this beautiful moment._

" _Hell, Gibbs. You look terrible. You should go home and take a nap," Callen said, "The case is closed. The killer is in prison, and Pride, Bishop and I will finish the paperwork."_

" _He is right, boss. Leave it to us and take your kids home," Bishop agreed._

" _Home!" cheered Abby, and her brothers supported her._

 _Gibbs smiled at the happy faces of his children. It seemed as if this time, this wouldn't be a nightmare. Relieved, he held out his arms. A sign for his daughter to come back to him. Of course, the little girl reacted immediately and reached out for her daddy, who pulled the child in his arms. Abby put her arms around his neck._

 _`This is not a nightmare. It officially turned into a dream.´_

" _Let's go boys. We go home."_

* * *

" _Tony, stop it! That's not funny!"_

" _If Ziva would be here she would have kicked your ass by now."_

 _The scene had changed into his second nightmare. Would it end like the one he had nights ago or would it change into a good dream just like the one in the squad room?_

 _`Maybe I need to change it by doing something different than the first time.´_

 _Gibbs left his basement and entered the living room. Just like he thought, he found Tony and McGee fighting over the… he couldn't remember what the name of the computer game was. And Abby was trying to help McGee. Quickly, Gibbs crossed the room. He saw his little girl falling, but before she could meet the floor he was there and lifted her up in the air. Abby released a small squeak until she realized who caught her._

" _Tony! Give your brother the computer game-thing!"_

" _It's a Nintendo, Dad, and not a computer game."_

" _Don't talk back to me, young man. Give Tim that stupid game or you are grounded."_

" _That's not fair! Tim and Abby are always playing! When is my turn?"_

" _Not now. Do I have to lock it away or do you listen to me?"_

 _Tony gave him the evil eye, then he gave in and handed over the game._

" _Good boy."_

" _It's still not fair."_

" _Daddy, Tony pushed me."_

" _He didn't mean it, Abs."_

" _But he…"_

" _What do you say about this? Do you want to help me with our dinner?"_

" _Dad, I want a pizza!" yelled Tony._

" _No, we had pizza two days ago," Abby objected "I want a burger."_

" _Boys, no fighting anymore. Abby and I, we make Spaghetti Bolognese, and you guys play nicely together or you will read a book."_

 _Gibbs didn't wait for an answer. Instead, he walked with his little girl to the kitchen._

" _Daddy, I want to play with Tony and McGee."_

" _But I need your help with our dinner. Don't you like it to prepare our food?"_

" _Yes, I do."_

" _Good, then let's get started."_

 _The former marine left Abby on a chair, while he went to the refrigerator._

" _Alright, we need…"_

 _Suddenly, he heard his doorbell._

 _`Did this happen the last time too? No, in my nightmare there was this ice cream melody. The shadow man wouldn't walk to my door and ask nicely for my children.´_

" _I open the door!" said Abby happily._

 _Shocked, Gibbs heard how his little girl ran out of the kitchen._

" _Abby, don't!"_

 _Immediately, he ran after her, but at the time he reached her, Tony had opened the front door. The worried father grabbed the little child and pulled her into his arms before she could get within the grasp of the intruder._

" _Don't do this ever again! Do you hear me? I'm the only one, who is allowed to open the door!" Gibbs told her angry._

" _But I didn't open the door," Abby whispered with tears in her eyes._

" _But you wanted to do it! And you would have if Tony wouldn't have been faster!"_

" _Gibbs, why are you yelling?" asked a familiar voice, "It's just me. Your kids know me."_

 _Gibbs turned to their guest and saw his friend Pride. It wasn't the shadow man. Did he already change his nightmare by taking Abby with him in the kitchen? Had this been enough? Gibbs felt relief washing over him when he saw the friendly face of the old agent._

" _I thought… it doesn't matter. Please, come in."_

 _Gibbs mentioned to Tony to close the door and when he turned, he saw that tears were rolling down on Abby's cheeks. Immediately, his bad conscience appeared and was biting him. He was the reason for her sadness and all because he wanted to keep her safe. Gibbs pressed the little one closer to him and gave her a kiss on her temple._

" _I'm sorry, Abs," he whispered, "I didn't mean to yell at you."_

" _Never apologize – it's a sign of weakness," she recalled his rule._

" _Not with you. When I do something wrong to you, then I have to apologize."_

 _Little Abby put her arms around his neck and squeezed him tight, but he didn't care. She was the last person on earth, he wanted to anger._

" _I forgive you, daddy," she whispered back._

" _Thank you, little one."_

" _Alright, enough with this sneaky talking. I want to hug my goddaughter," Pride interrupted._

 _Gibbs smiled before he turned back to his kitchen._

" _Who says that you owned this privilege?"_

" _Gibbbbbbs."_

" _You can play with the boys. Abby and I, we have to make dinner."_

" _Daddy, watch out!" giggled the girl._

 _The ex-marine turned just in time. Pride had a pillow in his hands and it was clear that he would use it._

" _Catch."_

 _Gibbs caught the soft cotton with his free hand. Pride used his distraction to grab the little girl out of his arms._

" _Hey!"_

 _His friend ran to the couch, then he shielded Abby with his body._

" _You don't get her back."_

" _I said you can play with the boys," Gibbs said, while he beat up Pride with the pillow._

" _But I want to cuddle with Abby."_

" _And I need her to make dinner."_

" _She can't help you. She will just sit beside you and watch you how you prepare the food."_

" _It's not your decision to make."_

" _Abby doesn't want to go to the kitchen. Right, Abby?"_

" _Stop talking her into…"_

" _I want to play with Uncle Pride," the smiling girl answered._

" _See? She knows what's good for her. Go to your dinner. I stay with the kids."_

 _Pride was smiling from one ear to another. He knew he had won this argument and he didn't regret it for even a second. Sighing Gibbs gave up. He left the pillow on Pride's head, then he returned to his kitchen. He knew when he had lost a battle, and the dinner wouldn't make itself._

* * *

" _Daddy? Daddy."_

 _Groaning, Gibbs noticed that the scene had changed again. Two nightmares lied behind him. This could only mean that the third one was next. Hopefully, this one would turn into a good dream as well._

" _Daddy?"_

 _The tired team leader opened his eyes and got his confirmation right away. In front of him, stood little Abby with her stuffed bat. This could only mean that in three, two, one… The bright flash illuminated the whole room and was soon followed by the loud crash. Abby's scream hurt his ears, but at least he awoke fully. Gibbs sat upright on the couch. His little daughter had her eyes closed and hugged the bat tightly. Carefully, he pulled her into his arms with a little smile on his face. She grabbed his shirt, immediately, as if she was afraid he would let her go again._

" _It's okay, sweetheart. It's just a thunderstorm. You're completely safe in here."_

" _Dad?"_

 _`And here are my boys.´_

 _Tony and McGee stood in front of the stairs, just like the last time._

" _Come here."_

 _Abby cuddled closer to him. She didn't want him to let her go. Gibbs pulled McGee close to him, while Tony was fine with just cuddling against him. The second flash and thunder came, and all three kids shrugged._

" _Daddy, make the thunder go away," Abby whined._

" _I can't, sweetheart."_

" _But you can do everything. You're my daddy."_

 _Tony sighed beside him, but this time Gibbs wouldn't allow him to say anything against his little sister._

" _I know you think I'm Superman, Abs, but the weather is something I can't change. I have a better idea. Why don't we go upstairs to my bedroom and we all cuddle there? I will stay with you guys the whole time until the thunderstorm is gone."_

" _Do you promise?" asked Abby._

" _I swear I won't leave."_

" _I'm in," McGee said._

 _The two boys walked back upstairs. Gibbs moved Abby a little, so, he was able to walk with her on his hip. Then he walked to his front door and locked it. As soon as he heard the save click, he froze. He did this the last time, too. Still, it didn't stop the shadow man from taking his children. What if this was useless? But he changed the first two dreams. What did he have to change to protect his children in this version?_

" _Why do you lock the door, daddy?"_

" _Because I feel safer when I know that no one can get inside."_

" _But you never lock the door."_

" _Well, this time I do. I'll keep you and your brothers safe."_

 _Gibbs gave her a kiss on her forehead before he went upstairs to his bedroom and his waiting boys._

 _He placed Abby on the blanket when another lightning appeared. She screamed because of the loud thunder and was clutching his shirt again in an instant. Gibbs suppressed the upcoming laugh and put her between her brothers. Like the last time, she snuggled closer to Tony, who put his arm around her. Gibbs joined his kids under the blanket, then all three of them moved closer to him before they closed their eyes and went to sleep. The ex-marine thought about closing his own eyes, but he couldn't stop his thoughts. What if this nightmare wouldn't change like the others? What if Watson would come inside and take them away again?_

 _`No, trust yourself. You saved your team in the real world. You can save them here too. This time, no one will take them away from you.´_

 _Gibbs allowed the dream to move forward by closing his eyes._

* * *

" _Daddy!"_

 _Immediately, Gibbs was awake and searched with his hands for the three little bodies. But the bed was empty!_

" _Daddy!"_

 _Suddenly, the weight of a four-year-old girl crashed into him and threw him on his back._

" _Wake up, daddy. I'm hungry."_

" _Abby?"_

" _I'm hungry."_

" _Where are your brothers?"_

" _Playing with the Nintendo. I want pancakes for breakfast. Like 50."_

" _You eat 50 pancakes?" asked Gibbs with a smile on his face._

" _Sure, I'm a big girl, and they need a big breakfast."_

 _Gibbs laughed, then he took a look out of the window. The thunderstorm was over. The sky was blue, and the sun was up too. Apparently, he made it through the night without losing his children to the darkness. Laughing, he grabbed Abby and threw her in the air. The little girl giggled happily before her dad caught her again and covered her face with uncountable kisses._

" _Daddy!"_

 _Finally, he released her, and she crawled to the end of the bed. Far away from his grasp._

" _What is going on with you?"_

" _I'm just glad to see you and to have you here with me."_

" _Where else should I be? We have no kindergarten this week."_

 _Gibbs smiled, then he moved his legs out of bed. Abby, who was scared he would start with the kissing again, jumped off the bed, but she wasn't as fast as her dad with her short legs. Before she reached the door, he had pulled her into his arms again._

" _Daddy! Let me go!"_

" _Not a chance."_

 _The team leader found his two boys in the living room playing with the tech-thing Abby mentioned before._

" _Good morning, boys."_

 _He gave each one of them a kiss on the head, which they tried to avoid._

" _Dad! We are playing!" Tony protested._

" _Come on, Abby. Let's make pancakes."_

 _Humming Gibbs walked to his kitchen. His world was perfect again._

* * *

 **There is one last chapter left.**


	18. Epilogue

**We finally reached the end of this story. I want to thank everyone, who read it, and who give me a review. I hope you guys enjoyed this story :)**

 **Special thanks go to DS2010, AliinaSuomi, STLFAN, Mar91, gerrylynnr and the mysterious guest, who left me those nice reviews over this time.**

 **And now I hope you will enjoy this last chapter :)  
**

 **I don't own anything. The characters belong to CBS.**

Epilogue

A month had passed, and the team from special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs had turned back to normal. They passed their psychic evaluation test and showed up to work again. Even Abby was back in her lab, working on evidence and presenting results.

The teams of LA and NOLA were safely in their own towns to work on their own cases. Sometimes, Pride called to check on Abby, but otherwise, everything went on like before.

Although, that wasn't entirely true. Even after a whole month, Gibbs was still checking on his team. Especially on Abby, who was out of his sight when she was working in her lab. He used every possibility to go down. The forensic scientist noticed his constant appearance, but she couldn't get through to him to stop it.

This day was no different. The team leader walked through the doors of forensic with a caf-pow in his hands.

"Hey, Abs. I brought you a caf-pow."

"You know that Ducky is close to killing you because you bring me like 5 of those things a day?"

"Do you wanna tell me that you don't buy that much by yourself?"

Abby opened her mouth but had to realize that he was right. She bought even more on a normal workday.

"That's… you're changing the subject."

"As do you."

She gave him her evil eye, then she took the cup out of his hands.

"What can I do for you?"

"What do you got?"

"Nothing since you came down the last time."

"That was hours ago."

"More like one hour."

"That's nonsense."

"Do you want to tell me that I can't count anymore?"

"I want to know what news you have for me."

"You're a stalker."

This time, she got no answer but was rewarded with his famous look. The look, which had no affection on her.

"Fine, call me when you have something new."

"As if I have to call you."

"We still don't have a psychic link, Abs," Gibbs said, while he walked back to the door.

"I'm not talking about our connection. I'm talking about you stalking me."

"I'm not. Keep working."

Smiling he went to the elevator. The ex-marine knew that he couldn't trick his surrogate daughter. She knew him to well to let him blind her. The ping of the arriving elevator was heard.

"AAH! Damn it!"

Immediately, Gibbs turned and sprinted back into the room. Abby had her back to him, while she was holding her right hand. He moved in front of her, then he grabbed her hand to examine the wound… but there was nothing! No blood, not even a burn. What happened? As soon as he saw her face, the old man noticed that he fell for her act. She never hurt herself.

"That's not funny, Abby."

"It wasn't meant to be funny. I just wanted to show you that you are a stalker."

"I'm… I'm not a stalker!"

"You keep coming to my lab for no reason! It's not that I don't like it to see you, but damn, Gibbs. You need to do your job. I'm safe now. Watson is behind bars. No one is going to hurt me."

He wanted to tell her that she was wrong. That this wasn't the reason why he came down, but it would have been a lie. He couldn't shake the feeling to protect her. The building proved him that it was possible to get inside and to hurt the people he loved.

Gently Abby pulled him in one of her hugs, but this time she didn't crush his bones in the process. It was a hug to comfort him.

"I love it that you look out for me and that you protect me. But you can't protect me 24/7."

She felt him stiff as if she gave him a new idea.

"Don't even think about getting me a bodyguard. I'm a big girl. I can stay alone in my lab."

"Abs, I just…"

"You want to protect me, and I love you very much, Gibbs. But you can't protect me from everything."

Abby released him only to place a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Now, go back upstairs. I call you if I have new information for you."

"Is there a chance I can…"

"No."

Gibbs stayed where he was, while he thought how he could change her mind. Abby, who knew him very well, grabbed his arm before she pushed him out of the door.

"I need to work. So, get out of my lab."

She left him in front of the elevator, but Gibbs turned around and pulled her against him.

"Gibbs," Abby giggled "I have to work."

"I love you too," he whispered in her ear.

Softly he gave her a kiss on her cheek before he released her. Abby smiled than she walked back to her evidence.

"I'm your favorite. You have to," she called back to him just as the elevator doors opened.

Gibbs felt how his lips turned into a smile, too. This crazy woman was the only one, who had this effect on him. Contently he entered the metal box, but while the doors closed in front of him, he was already thinking to call Derryl down to protect his surrogate daughter just like he did it a few years ago.


End file.
